LIBRARY (^CONGRESS. 



UNITED STATES OF AMCKl; 



11 



iwkL IIHlfWWKfPiPIPII 



W:"m^' 




V -^ I -S 



THE HORSE: 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL. 



GIVIHG THE PODfTS WHICH DISTINGinSH A 



SOUND FROM AN UNSOUND HORSE. 



BY 

PETEE EOWDEJ^f 




^^"^pV right: '' '^^h^ 
^i^A^ 18 1882] 

NEW Y O R K'^'^^^JlgP WASHi^g^i^-^ 
ORANGE JUDD COMPANY^ 

751 BROADWAY. 

18 8 2. 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1882, by the 

ORANGE JUDD COMPANY, 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



PUBLISHEKS' PREFACE. 



The rapidly growing fondness among both sexes for 
Horses in the United States, is yery naturally develop- 
ing a desire for knowledge regarding the points and 
characteristics of this noble animal. Hitherto this 
knowledge has been confined to few. The present 
volume abounds in general information, stated in so 
clear and simple a manner as to enable every one to 
intelligently buy and sell a horse. 



PREFACE. 

The object of the present work is to explain, in the 
simplest manner, what constitutes a sound and what an 
unsound horse; to note doubtful points, and such things 
as operate against the proper development of the animal 
in all parts; and further, as an ^' unsound horse "is often 
less dangerous and more useful than the common ac- 
ceptation of the word *^ unsound" would imply, I shall 
take pains to distinguish real from imaginary defects. 

To recapitulate the objects of this little treatise, they 
are — 

1. To ascertain what constitutes strict soundness in 

the horse. 

2. To note deviations from soundness unimportant 

except as to their effect on the market value of the 
animal. 

3. General observations on used horses. 

As, of necessity, these subjects sometimes run into 
each other, a copious index at the end of this book will 
save the reader any perplexity, and enable him to find 
what he wants. 



There have from time to time been published plenty 
of books upon the real and imaginary perfections of the 
horse; but it must be admitted that no horse ever came 
up to the standard of excellence set up by the authors 
of these works. Of course not. These writers have 
brought together a collection of equine excellences, and 
made it appear to the general reader that a sound and 
good horse possesses them all. Such argument is not 
based on common sense. As well expect to find the av- 
7 



8 PEEEACE. 

erage human form as divinely beautiful as the Apollo 
Belvidere or the Venus de Medici; or, at least, to reject 
as models for the student in sculpture or painting all 
subjects not "thoroughly up to the mark." Nobody, 
nothing, is perfect according to our own artificial stan- 
dards; but with a little attention to practical detail, as 
laid down by men of experience, and a large allowance 
of common sense, we may find the tools for our work. 

There are few horses that would stand the strict test 
of examination for purposes of unqualified warranty, 
even among those that have not been worked; but few 
indeed would be those that had been worked that would 
not fall under the denomination of unsound. 

One of the most experienced men in the business, who 
dealt for many years in horses for those who can and will 
have the best animals in the country, said, "Not one in 
three of fresh unused horses would pass an examination; 
and when a horse has reached five years without work, 
reject him. Do not trouble yourself to find out what it 
is, there is certainly something wrong about the brute." 
My experience bears out this counsel. In quadrupeds 
and men destined to labor, there must be some inherent 
deficiency in them if they go long without work. 

It should be borne in mind that, even where " price is 
no object," the purchaser cannot insure the possession of 
a perfect animal, according to any abstract standard. 
There are very few really bad horses, and, providing horses 
are properly "placed," that is, put to their right use — 
the use to which nature fitted them — all difficulties in 
dealing in horse-flesh will vanish. There is not a grain 
of sense or truth in the assertion that the horses of to-day 
are far inferior to the "well-bred horse of old." Again, 
exceptions do not always prove the rule, and the references 
to one or more old beauties amongst a lot of young and 
not beautiful animals go for nothing; or prove no more 
than that the favorites of older days were not over- 



PEEFACE. 9 

worked. Horses not over-worked improve in beauty 
from eight to sixteen years. During that period the car- 
tilage becomes absorbed, the head smaller and sharper in 
outline; the prominent bones and tissues again present a 
youthful roundness, the legs become fine, and the ten- 
dons acquire a sharp, well-defined appearance; the horse 
himself might be taken by a good judge to be much 
younger than in reality he is, did not his mouth bear ev- 
idence to the contrary. The conuoisseur, however, 
rarely needs the evidence of the mouth, the general shape 
and contour of the horse being in most cases sufficient. 

It may be some consolation to those whose knowledge 
or rather predilection for certain horses is derived from 
books, to learn that large '^ users " very rarely obtain ex- 
actly such horses as they would choose, they therefore 
adopt the wise course of balancing one thing with an- 
other, and purchase the best they can get. 

The present Duke of Wellington recently observed of 
a horse:— '* A great many faults might be found with his 
hocks; he could not pass an examination. But I do not 
mind, I know well enough he is a good wearer, and I 
will give you a cheque for him." The duke's observa- 
tion proved him to be a practical horseman; in short, a 
good judge. Horses are essentially animals for use, and 
although the whole modern system of breeding and train- 
ing tends to produce animals compactly built and beauti- 
ful to look upon, still no amount of training will conceal 
from the practised eye the features useful or useless for 
the purpose in view. 



THE HORSE; HOW TO BUY AND SELL, 



"When the extensive and widely ramified trade in horses 
is considered, the prevailing ignorance of the public as to 
the laws both physical and civil, relating to their sound- 
ness or unsoundness, is a matter of surprise. 

Many people appear to think that such knowledge is 
confined to the larger dealers and proprietors, so that, 
when a private individual — though a really bad judge of 
horse-flesh — succeeds in selling, most innocently, a horse 
that a short time afterwards becomes lame, he immedi- 
ately acquires the reputation of being '^ a knowing one" 
— '' a deep hand;" etc. 

It is hoped this little work will aid m protecting both 
buyer and seller from useless litigation. It will be my 
aim both to free the Warranty from the fallacious security 
with which it too often invests the purchaser, and to re- 
move the bugbear terrors that surround the seller and too 
often prevent his obtaining a proper value for a horse. 
From not knowing the extent of liabilities incurred by 
the warranty, he is led from motives of prudence, to de- 
cline warranting even horses that are sound. I shall also 
show when a horse should not be rejected because he is 
unsound, and why, frequently, a sound horse should be 
avoided. 

The late Professor Coleman used to say, ^^any devia- 
tion from nature is an unsoundness." The opinions of 
most writers, since his time, embrace the same doctrine. 
To differ from the learned professor altogether would 
be presumptuous; although, I think, whilst he in\t his 
11 



12 THE HORSE. 

meaning into sliort and quaint language that it might 
be easily understood, he calculated upon its receiving a 
liberal construction. Still, however, the professor con- 
sidered the above definition of unsoundness a neat and 
concise explanation of a difiBcult subject. 

The exceptions may not be very numerous with regard 
to strict soundness, but there may, nevertheless, be many 
deviations from nature which, instead of impeding the 
animal functions, are of great service in adapting domes- 
ticated animals to the artificial state in which they have 
to live. Let us take an illustration. The hands of the 
artisan or laborer, rendered coarse and hard by his daily 
vocations, must be considered a deviation from nature; 
but a man with delicate hands, who occasionally goes 
boating, is aware, from the blisters he gets on his hands, 
of the convenience and comfort of a more horny texture 
of skin. 

If it were customary for people, upon being taken into 
any kind of employment, to be ^'^ warranted," could a 
man with these hard hands be warranted sound, L e., in 
a natural state, or capable of doing his work properly? 
Nevertheless, though deviating from nature, the horny 
hand is the best adapted to hard work. 

If the hands of a man had never done hard manual 
labor, but had always been employed m writing, his skin 
would remain unaltered, thin, and tender, and he would 
be adjudged sound, in consequence of his not deviating 
from nature; but his hands must undergo an alteration of 
structure before he could earn his food by plowing or 
digging. It IS not, therefore, the training alone, but the 
altered structure consequent thereon, that is. required; 
yet no one will deny that the adapted structure is the 
most valuable for performing the requisite labor. Devia- 
tions equally slight or unimportant should not vitiate a 
warranty in horse-flesh. Such Adtiation is, however, often 
attempted, leading to enormous expense, tedious litiga- 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL. 13 

tion, and frequently the breaking-up of long-established 
friendships, every one of which evils might be easily pre- 
vented by a thorough understanding of the subject I 
would elucidate. The works on the soundness and un- 
soundness of horses that have hitherto come under my 
notice have been, for the most part, compilations or refer- 
ences to cases that have been litigated, which cases, in- 
stead of being of any value or service to those unac- 
quainted with the structure and habits of the horse, have 
only served to mystify them. 



WAKRANTY. 

It has been almost universally supposed that a warranty 
extends to a definite period. Some imagine that, if any- 
thing hajDpens to render a horse unsound during the first 
month after purchase, the horse can be returned. Others 
extend the period, and, when told that the warranty does 
not go forward, but, on the contrary, back from the time 
of its date, want to know the use of such a document. 



USE OF WAERANTT. 

The following are the advantages to be derived from 
the possession of a warranty. Suppose a horse should be- 
come ill or diseased within such a reasonable time after 
purchase as to lead to the belief that the ailment, in all 
probability, had been caught prior to the sale of the ani- 
mal, then it could be returned as unsound, because it did 
not fulfil the conditions of the warranty at the time it 
was given. Or suppose, within a few days after the pur- 
chase has been made, the horse becomes lame, and it is 
possible to prove that the lameness existed prior to the 



14 THE HOESE. 

change of ownersliip, and that the horse had not been 
used, as is generally the case with horses of his class, for 
six weeks after his cnre, then the animal is returnable. A 
horse, therefore, that is turned out to grass after having 
been afflicted with lameness (unless it can be proved that 
he has been out for a very considerable period, and that 
he has been sound during a portion of that time), cannot 
properly be warranted as sound, and is returnable if he 
becomes unsound in the part affected before. 

Provided that the animal had been properly used ac- 
cording to his class and condition, and that no lameness 
takes place within a month after he commences work, 
whetlier in the service of his new or his late owner, the 
warranty would cease at the end of a month. The safest 
way, therefore, is not to warrant the horse until he has 
been at least six weeks at ordinary work after a perfect 
cure has been effected. 

As there are some physicians who assert that nobody is 
perfectly sane, and that every one is insane upon one 
topic or another, so there will be found enlightened vet- 
erinarians who assert that there are no sound horses. 
Certainly not, if they have ever done a day's work. If the 
slightest deviation from the state m which the colt was, 
prior to beginning work, it is to be significant of un- 
soundness, I grant that with used horses they are right. 
The hard condition of the working horse, which really is 
the cause of his endurance, is, according to this dictum, 
an unsoundness; because the very work necessary to pro- 
duce this desired condition will in most cases effect some 
slight alteration of structure. 

lS"or is the charge of the veterinary surgeon respecting 
unsoundness much less deserving of censure. Horses 
were made for the use of man; and many of the devia- 
tions from nature brought on by that use, so far from 
causing inconvenience to the animal, assist him in the 
work he has to do. Are we not justified, then, in at- 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL. 15 

tributing certain alterations in the structure of animals to 
the goodness of nature, rather than in questioning their 
soundness when such alteration, instead of being detri- 
mental, is for their benefit? 

Taking substantially, however. Professor Coleman's 
comprehensive definition of warranty for my text, I will 
proceed to give a list of the most usual causes for reject- 
ing warranted horses; distinguishing those marks or pecu- 
liarities which are really only blemishes from those which 
do render the animal unsound; and, to make the work as 
complete as possible, I will endeavor to make clear the 
vices of the horse, with their attendant consequences. 



EXAMmATION. 

On the horse being led out of the stable, it is usual to 
walk up to his withers to ascertain if he is of the required 
height, as there is generally a difference between the ap- 
parent measure in the stable and that taken out of doors, 
arising from the want of level in the stall. 

Next, you should stand before the middle of the chest, 
to see whether there is any difference in the size of the 
two fore-feet. 



THE FEET. 

COXTEACTIOi^r. 

Contractions, whether arising from original maKorma- 
tion or from subsequent lameness, are by many pro- 
nounced unsound. Others admit, where no inconven- 
ience arises from a naturally small foot, that it does not 
constitute an unsoundness. Why should feet naturally 



16 THE HOKSE. 

small or narrow at the heels, caused by being reared on 
high, dry, or hard soil, be pronounced unsound? 

Nature has made the small foot as perfect as the larger 
one. The inside, or sensitive foot, is not too large for 
the horny case, nor has it with difficulty been squeezed 
into the case; but the hard, horny case fits the inside with 
perfect ease. Where contraction is the cause of lameness, 
it usually arises from changing a natural state of living to 
one that is artificial. The heat or dryness of the stable 
is one of the principal causes of contraction, as it aggra- 
vates the inflammation produced by work and by the 
stimulating nature of the food. 

Reason, therefore, would suggest that the horse reared 
in the softest and wettest ground, and having the largest- 
sized foot, would be most likely to receive injury from 
the change; and so it has proved in innumerable cases. 
Great attention and care may keep such feet moderately 
sound for a short time; but they become crippled almost 
as soon as they are worked. Not so with the naturally 
smaller but harder hoof, which has been accustomed to 
something nearer to the stable dryness; it is not, there- 
fore, from this cause, so soon inflamed. Horses with 
small hard feet have less fatty membrane to carry, having 
generally been reared on hard dry grounds. Food not be- 
ing so plentiful in these situations as on the moist, soft, 
and fertile plains, they have had to travel farther for it; 
deriving much good from the exercise thereby mduced, 
and especially from the dry and bracmg air of more hilly 
regions. Horses whose hoofs are naturally small and 
hard are, therefore, better prepared in every way for the 
treatment they have to undergo in their apprenticeship 
to work. They have less useless weight of their own to 
carry; they are already accustomed to hard dry ground, 
and to more violent exercise. Horses with small hoofs are 
more moderate in their action: their feet are not subject 
to violent inflammation. When inflammation does take 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL. 17 

place, it is usually slow, and some time elapses before it 
produces lameness; with a little care they are generally 
kept in health, and must be pronounced to be Sound. 



OPEN HOOFS. 

The larger-footed horse has more useless weight of his 
own, not only from having been accustomed to wet, low 
situations, but also from having had, when young, a 
greater abundance of food. From having had less exer- 
cise, and from the heavy atmosphere having induced 
quiet, the horn of his hoof has become thin, soft, and 
weak. The action of this class of horse is high, which 
is peculiarly bad for the shape of his feet. This habit 
has been partly acquired through his having been obliged 
in marshy situations to clear his feet from the soil; but 
in some horses bred on plains it arises from the position 
of the shoulder. 

It must be obvious to every one, that bringing these 
horses into dry stables, and making them work upon 
hard and dry ground, aggravated by their high action, does 
a greater violence to them than to the small-footed animal; 
and, as a natural consequence, a very little work pro- 
duces serious inflammation, pumice-sole, and sometimes 
perpetual lameness. 

These diseases are not merely the result of neglect; 
they are induced by putting the horse to a kind of work 
for which he is totally unfitted. 

The large-hoofed horse, certainly in his earlier years, 
should be put to moderate if not slow work, with as little 
weight upon his back as possible. 



FLAT FOOT. 



Where the sole of the foot is large and flat, and slightly 
convex, and where the heels are oj)en, it is often mis- 



18 THE HORSE. 

taken for a good open foot, even though the horny cover- 
ing is too thin and soft. Such a foot will not stand 
much work; but if its peculiarities are not the result ot 
disease, the foot may be considered Sound. 



PERFECT FOOT. 



The intermediate foot, that is, a foot between the con- 
tracted and open one, may be deemed perfection; but, as 
this degree of excellence is rarely met with, we must be 
satisfied with that which is the nearest approach to it. 



PUMICE SOLE. 

If the sole of the foot is in the slightest degree convex, 
or lower at the middle than at the sides, it may be 
inferred that the horse has had inflammation of the foot, 
which has divided some of the laminse that attach the 
inner foot to the horny covering. These laminae, which 
are one thousaod in number, in the healthy foot support 
the entire weight of the horse, as it were, on springs, 
instead of letting it rest on the sole alone. In the early 
stage of inflammation but few of these laminae are injured. 
The presence of pumice-sole stamps the horse as 

Unsound. 



THE KNEES. 

Upon the spotless purity of the knees too much stress 
is often laid, but security alone is the object to be con- 
sidered. A properly-formed horse, with his fore and 
hind quarters proportioned to each other, and his 
action straight and true, will not fall, except from over 
fatigue. Here do not deceive yourself, but take care. 



HOW TO BUY AKD SELL. 19 

that in proportion to the beauty or length of the hind 
quarters be also the obliquity or slanting of the shoulder- 
blades. The wither has nothing to do with this — so far 
as regards thinness, height, and other fancies — but it is 
best when thick at the lower part next the back. A 
horse thus chosen, with broken kuees, unless the tendon 
is injured, is safer and better, if he has decent hind 
quarters, than one having upright shoulders, high withers, 
and all the popular requisites, even with the most 
immaculately-covered knees. Depend upon it he will 
have broken knees before he is eight years old. If he 
escaj^es it till then, it is a clear proof that he has never 
been tried; for the first time he is so, down he will be 
sure to drop. 

When your chief desire is that your horse should not 
fall, care less about the length and beauty of the hind 
quarters than the proper form of the fore ones, unless 
price is no object, when you may have the nearer approx- 
imation to perfection. Upright shoulders are not of 
much consequence in harness, as the weight of draught 
assists the balance. 

The mere cutting of the skin, without further injury, 
does not render the horse weaker on his legs than he v/as 
before the accident. You may be assured that he was as 
frightened at falling as his rider; and the only mischief 
he has done is in having decreased, not his working, but 
his market, price. 



BEOKEN" KN^EES. 



Should the horse at any time have been wounded by 
falling, the injury he has sustained is to be taken into 
consideration. 

If he has been down at all, even though the skin has 
not been broken, there will always remain a scurf under 
the hair, which, to the practised eye, is easily perceptible. 



20 THE HOESE. 

Where this is all the damage he has sustained, he is 
neither unsound nor blemished. 

Where there is an obvious scar from a cut of the skin, 
it is evidence of a broken knee, let the accident have 
occurred when or how it may; never heed the excuses 
offered, take it for granted that it was done against the 
animal's will, by coming in contact with the ground. 
This state of broken knee is sound, and the mark a 
blemish only, provided it is healed over and the skin 
formed. Prior to this state of perfect cure, from the 
time of the accident the horse is Unsoukd. 

Should the injury, however, have been sufficient to 
divide the extensor tendon, or otherwise impede or alter 
the action of the animal, although the part is healed 
over, he is Uksound. 



SWOLLEN Kiq"EES. 

Another case of injured, though not always broken, 
knees, may as well be mentioned; that is, where they are 
swollen: the horse is then Ui^soukd. 

Where they are of a wenny, or capped, or callous 
nature, neither increasing nor diminishing, nor requir- 
ing extra care, and the action or work of the horse is not 
interfered with, the horse is SouisTD. 

But, if the wenny, capped, or callous feature is very 
conspicuous, it is a blemishj and, where it interferes with 
the action or work, the horse is Ui^souKD. 



THE EYES. 

The eyes require a very careful examination, as on 
their proper action our safety and comfort in the use of 
the animal mainly depend. 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL. 'Zl 

A horse with perfect eyes never shies, unless from 
mismanagement and savage cruelty; and even then he 
may be cured. He may look at various objects, and, 
when fresh from want of exercise, he is likely enough to 
play and frisk on observing different things, particularly 
such things as pass him quickly; but he may, neverthe- 
less, be perfectly free from vice. 

It is absolutely necessary that good light should be 
obtained, in order to inspect the eyes, and care should be 
taken that the animal be kept quiet for a sufficient 
time to enable you to observe these organs narrowly 
and collectedly. The light best suited for this 
purpose is that which comes from above, and aboA^e only, 
like that which proceeds from a lantern roof, as in picture- 
galleries and in some riding- schools. The next best 
light comes from the skylight common in the latter, or in 
a covered ride with a light above. Having placed the 
horse immediately under the light, you will be able to 
see and examine every defect as clearly as though you 
were looking at a piece of crystal. The best position 
one can generally adopt is to put his head in the stable- 
door, placing yourself in the shade, inside the stable, and 
looking through one of the eyes with great care, towards 
the light. When satisfied with the inspection, proceed with 
equal deliberation and pains to examine the other eye. 
Now stand opposite the animal's face, and examine both 
eyes well, by looking through them towards the stable or 
shade. It does not always follow that, because one eye 
is perfect, the other may not be tainted, although this 
may not be obvious at the moment. 

Any disease in the eye, even from the slightest cold or 
inflammation, until it be completely cured, or until it 
has terminated m total blindness, stamps the animal as 

LiNSOUXD. 

All eyes predisposed to inflammation, although not 
actually affected by this complaint at the time of the 



22 THE HOKSE. 

warranty being drawn up, must be considered to stamp 
the borse as Unsound. 

AVbere tbere is reason to suppose thab all tendency to 
inflammation in these organs has ceased, whether from 
the animal's age or otherwise, if there are any marks of 
injury remaining — as is mostly the case — from the small- 
est cataract, not larger than a needle's point; or if there 
IS tbe slightest dilatation of the pupil, the horse is 

Unsound. 

In other words, a horse with either eye not actually 
perfect is, if not blind, unsound. 



TOTAL BLINDNESS. 

If the animal is totally blind, either with one or both 
eyes, then there is no danger accompanying his use 
beyond what can be easily calculated upon; and if he is 
capable of doing the same work as other horses of his 
class similarly afflicted, he may be warranted sound, 
ranking only as Blemished. 



THE MOUTH. 

The age of the horse may be ascertained by examining 
the teeth and general appearance of the mouth. Taking 
it for granted that the reader will be acquainted with the 
peculiar structural marks, as reference can easily be 
made to plates on the subject, it only remains for me to 
state, that, by careful study and proper opportunity, one 
may learn to ascertain the age of the horse with tolerable 
accuracy, until the animal has turned his twentieth year. 
This is allowed by those who have had the opportunity 
and wish to ascertain the truth; but it is the interest of 
many to keep up the yulgar error that beyond the age of 
eight the horse's age cannot be calculated with any car- 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL. 23 

taint}'. It is for this reason no one has a horse more 
than eight years old for sale! 



OONTEACTED FEET. 

Having already considered the general formation of 
the feet, we now take up the near fore one, to see 
whether it is in any way diseased, or whether there are 
symptoms of its having formerly been so. 

To describe what should be the width of heel, and 
other peculiarities which form a perfect foot for each 
horse, would be indeed su23erfluous; such knowledge can 
be acquired only by study and ]3ractice. To point out 
the result of each defect when ascertained, so that the 
mitiated may Judge for themselves, is all that can be at- 
tempted. The thorough horesman is the only one who 
will appreciate more elaborate description. This asser- 
tion may perhaps appear over-confident; but, if blame 
attach to it, I hope those who have urged me on will 
lighten the burden. Thorough horsemen are compara- 
tively few, but the incompetent are numerous. This 
work, it is to be hoped, will be the means of adding to 
the former by decreasing the latter. 

It IS a matter of dispute whether contraction of the 
foot renders the horse unsound or not. All will agTee, 
where the climate is exceedingly hot and the horse goes 
sound, that this is a much better wearing foot, and more 
likely to keep free from lameness than the expanded soft 
hoof, which, from being wide, and predisposed in the sole 
to concavity, is, ^^ar excellence, pronounced sound; yet, 
m fact, while the narrow foot will stand equally well on 
wet, and on hard dry soil, on the latter the wide-spread 
flat foot will quickly give way on account of its proneness 
^o injury from its softness. 



24 THE HORSE. 

As feet of this description are adapted only for the 
work such horses are required to perform in their native 
country, it may perhaps be right enough to call them 
sound, prior to receiving injury. It is for the buyer to 
judge whether or not they are adapted to the work he 
requires. 

Still, why this weakly foot should be allowed to pass 
as sound, to the prejudice of the other, I have always 
been at a loss to know. The colt foaled with certain 
sized feet — the effect of the soil on which it was bred — 
although it has never been afflicted with lameness or dis- 
ease of any kind, is said to have contracted feet, and is 
condemned as unsound, because it is imagined that its 
hoofs are narrower than Fancy's prescribed limits. " He 
is unsound," says one; *^I am doubtful," says another, 
** whether, according to law, it is unsoundness; he seems 
to go very well at present. He might have been better 
had they been a little more open." 

Why should this be? In the human being, not only 
in different nations, but in the same country, we see peo- 
ple with feet of various sizes, but they are all equally 
capable of walking and of common exertion. I never 
knew a fast runner or a great walker amongst bipeds 
who had an extremely large foot; on the contrary, the 
feet of pedestrians, properly so called, are mostly, if 
not of the moderate size, rather under it. *^ Yes," some 
will say, " but the human foot is not confined within a 
box of horn, capable of yielding but slightly." Most 
true; but nature fits the horn to the foot, and not the 
foot to the horn. 

Horses, therefore, which have naturally small feet, but 
not so small as to cause them inconvenience, may with- 
out doubt be pronounced Sound. 

Should the various reasons stated in this and previous 
articles not be convincing, I may say that some of the 
best veterinary surgeons are of opinion that, where 



HOW TO BUT AND SELL. 25 

contraction is not attended by inconvenience to the ani- 
mal, it ought not to be deemed an unsoundness, although 
in England it was legally decided as such many j-ears 
ago. Some persons, however, pronounce it consistent 
with soundness, in spite of that decision. Professor 
Coleman once remarked, that he ^' cared not what had 
been decided, no jury, after such evidence as would now 
be brought into court, could decide in favor of so absurd 
a law." 

The statutes respecting soundness have altered, and 
must continue to be altered, with the advance of time and 
imjDroved veterinary knowledge. In Xenophon's time, 
when horses were not shod, the hardest hoof was consid- 
ered the best and soundest, because it wore the longest, 
although it was upright and contracted. When instruct- 
ing his soldiers how to choose horses, he describes these 
feet; but at the same time shows that he was aware of 
the evils of contraction brought on by disease, and he 
gives directions how it may be avoided. I shall here 
only add that extreme developments are as bad as mal- 
formations produced by disease or work. 



AETinCIAL COKTBACTIOK. 

Artificial contraction, which must most always be the 
result of disease, let the disease arise from bad manage- 
ment, bad shoeing, neglect, or whatever cause, may bring 
on inflammation. The horny sole will not contract upon 
its contents, until either in action, or in the stable, the 
horse ceases to rest some of his weight ujDon his heels. 
This resting contracts the internal foot; the heat con- 
tracts the horn to it, and alters the secretion, so that the 
horn either gets thicker and stronger, or so thin and ten- 
der as to become what is called a shelly hoof. This shoAvs 
that naturally small and narrow feet are verv different 
2 



26 THE HOBSE. 

from artificial contraction, wliicli can be cured only at 
the earliest stage of the disease. It may subsequently be 
sometimes relieved; but rarely, after an inflammation of 
a few weeks' standing, without a powerful remedy being 
applied, will there be so decided a cure effected as that 
the horse may be pronounced sound. If the contraction 
arose from a disease that had been cured, and the horse 
had been doing the work of horses of his class for six 
weeks without inconvenience or extraordinary care, then 
he is Sound. 

Lameness from contraction is preferable to the lame- 
ness consequent upon convex or pumice sole; the latter 
unfitting the horse for any but slow or moderate work. 

In order that I may not be misunderstood in treating 
of artificial contraction, I should mention the exception 
to the rule, though I do not think that contraction which 
comes on gradually, and without an injury from a second- 
ary natural cause, should be considered artificial. For 
instance, if from want of exercise the frog receives no 
pressure, the inside of the foot has less work to perform, 
and gradually shrinks or wastes, and the horn contracts. 
"When this takes place gradually, without inflammation, 
and without causing lameness or inconvenience, the horse 
is . SOUKD. 



COEl^S. 



Corns are an unsoundness. They are mostly on the 
inside heel, looking like a bruise or extravasated blood. 
They are more or less troublesome, according to the na- 
ture of the foot. In the low-heeled, thin, and brittle 
hoof, they are the worst and most troublesome; in the 
stronger hoof they are of less consequence; provided they 
are not soft corns or others of a serious character, and 
if the horse is a very superior animal, with good hoofs. 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL. 27 

going sound at the time, I should not reject him for my 
own use. Where the feet are otherwise good, with care 
and proper shoeing corns are soon cured. I would give 
the owner a short time to try and cure soft corns if the 
horse is otherwise sufficiently good. While a corn of 
any kind exists, the animal is Unsound. 

Corns may be produced in so short a period, that, 
should you discover them immediately after purchase, 
you cannot return the horse, unless you can prove they 
existed prior to purchase. 

If any reader of this, with feet most tender from bad 
corns, is wincing away in tight boots, he should be in- 
formed that there is no analogy between human corns 
and those of horses. The corn of the horse is a bruise 
similar to that caused by pinching up a piece of the skin, 
so as to leave the blood underneath, and which, previous 
to going away, assumes a black appearance. In the horse 
it is best to cut them out, and keep off the pressure till 
thoroughly recovered. Soft corns are the least common 
with horses, and are nearer akin to those of the human 
being. Animals afflicted in this way are Unsound. 



SAND-CRACK. 

This is a crack or fissure mostly situate in the inside 
quarter of the forefoot, beginning just below the coronet, 
between hair and hoof, and passing down towards the bot- 
tom of the foot. Attention should be paid to this the 
moment it is discovered, when the requisite treatment 
and two or three days' rest will enable the horse to go 
sound in his work. In a few days the bandages may be 
taken off. The horse wiU most probably remain free 
from sand-crack till about the same time in the following 
year, when, unless strict attention is paid to it, he may 



28 THE HOESE. 

throw another. While the sand-crack is in existence the 
animal is Unsound. 

When cured, he may be warranted as sound; but so 
long as the hoof is unsightly from the cure, it is a tem- 
porary Blemish. 

Where any marks of the sand-crack still remain at the 
time of the warranty being taken, in order to render the 
seller more secure, it would be advisable to make this dis- 
ease an exception. 

The horse is not returnable if one or more of these fis- 
sures appear immediately after he becomes the property 
of the purchaser, because he is considered sound until 
they are formed. Dry, brittle, thin hoofs are the most 
subject to this disease, particularly where the action is 
high and the weather dry and sharp. Attention, with 
slight stimulants, will do much to strengthen these hoofs, 
and render them less subject to cracks. Should these 
cracks be neglected till sand and dirt find their way 
through the fissures, they become troublesome to heal, 
and are frequently the cause of permanent lameness. 



FALSE QUAETEE. 

False quarter is a horizontal fissure in the inside quarter 
of the hoof. What has been said of sand-crack, applies 
in a great measure to this also. Till a cure is effected, the 
horse is Unsound. 

Thin, weak hoofs are most subject to this, though 
treading with one foot upon the other will produce it in 
any feet. If the horse goes sound, and does not require 
particular treatment, he may be warranted as such. While 
any mark. remains, it must be regarded as a blemish; but 
a blemish arising from a tread or accident on a good hoof 
will probably not appear. 



HOW TO BUY AXD SELL. 29 

THRUSHES. 

Thrushes are situated in the frogs of the feet, render- 
ing them ragged, and causing a fetid moisture to exude. 
Unless bad, and of old standing, they are not an un- 
soundness, and are readily cured in twenty-four hours; yet, 
as they constitute disease, and are deviations from the 
general rule of health, as implied in a warranty, and 
therefore open to dispute, I will endeavor to make you 
suflBciently acquainted with the subject to form an opin- 
ion for yourself, while giving the reasons for altering the 
rule. 

The frogs are evidently intended to relieve the other 
portions of the foot from some of the weight of the horse. 
Besides the interior structure proving this, no stronger 
evidence of this use of the frogs can be adduced than that 
want of pressure will of itself produce thrushes, and that, 
when the foot is not too far gone (fleshy), gentle pressure 
greatly assists a cure. Stopping the feet improperly with 
dung, and allowing it to remain too long in tJie hoofs, 
will also produce them. The best preventive is pressure 
and cleanliness; for, when the frogs become a little rag- 
ged, loose sand, dirt, or small gravel insinuating itself 
into the place affected will ultimately cause a running and 
tenderness; and where thrushes are already formed, the 
greatest attention to cleanliness is required. Proper care 
and attention, however, will effect a cure in a few hours. 
Until the frogs become bad or troublesome, or the heels 
become tender or fleshy, they should not be considered an 
unsoundness; but when the original structure of the frog 
has become so altered as to be perpetually tender, render- 
ing the horse liable to drop at every step, he is then un- 
questionably UXSOUND. 

One reason why slight thrushes should be considered as 
not rendering the horse unsound is, that they are of ht- 
tle consequence, and easily cured; another reason is, that 



30 THE HOESE. 

slight thrushes may be produced in twelve hours in the 
most healthy feet, that is, the frog may be made to pro- 
duce a moist secretion in that time. 'No one, therefore, 
would be justified in giving a warranty were slight 
thrushes to be regarded as an unsoundness, as any one not 
pleased with his bargain would only have to produce 
them to be almost certain of success in an action against 
the seller. This is, therefore, allowed to be one of the 
deviations from the general rule — that any alteration of 
structure renders the horse unsound. 

In cases where thrushes, however slight, are known to 
exist, the best and most secure way is, to warrant with 
this exception; as a litigious buyer might, if he did not 
like the horse in other respects, make this a plea for going 
into court to see whether he could not return his bargain, 
by making the existence of the disease a matter of im- 
portance. He would not gain his point, but the vexation 
and annoyance are better avoided. 

Where thrushes are the result of severe contraction, this 
state of contraction is an TJjs^soukdkess. 

To stop thrushes, when to a certain extent they are an- 
swering the purpose of setons, provokes more active in- 
flammation. In the contracted foot, more especially, they 
should have their course, until they have arrived at a cer- 
tain state. Then they should be stopped, in order to pre- 
vent worse diseases; they must, however, be dried gradu- 
ally and with caution, and then the horse wiU most prob- 
ably be Souiq-D. 



BAR SHOES. 

Wherever bar or round shoes are required, even though 
for a temporary purpose, the horse is unsound; for no 
disease is cured, whether sand-cracks, corns, thrushes, or 
whatever else it may be, so long as these are necessary. 



HOW TO BUY AKD SELL. 31 

LEATHER SOLES. 

What has been said of bar shoes applies equally to 
leather soles also; for, where it is necessary to use these to 
enable the horse to perform his work safely or properly, 
as he requires extra care, the horse is not sound, let the 
cause be what it may. 

No one will dispute that leather soles are of great good, 
enabling many a horse to work soundly that otherwise 
would be in great pain. They are much safer than bar 
shoes, where they answer the purpose, as the horse has a 
better hold of the ground. They are also less likely to 
produce thrushes or waste the frogs. For some feet, 
gutta-percha is better adapted than leather, on account of 
its being harder, and less yielding to sharp stones, partic- 
ularly in wet weather. It is not so well, however, when 
the sole is not to be covered, except in the case of corns. 



nilSG BONES. 

, Ring bones are situate above the hoof, being an ossifi- 
cation of the cartilages at the top of the coronet. If seen 
only in front of the pastern, whence the disease generally 
extends itself round the front of the hoof, in form of a 
ring, it is frequently of little consequence; but where it 
approaches the heels, the horse is fit for slow work only, 
the flexibility of the cartilage by its altered structure be- 
ing lost. The cartilage is likely to be fractured by the 
ascent of the internal structure of the hoof on any ex- 
treme pressure being given to the frogs, either from ac- 
celerated speed or from treading on a stone. At slow 
work horses with these hoofs often last for years without 
accident, but when they do fracture the ossified part, they 
should be at once destroyed, or turned out till the frac- 
ture is united, in which case, though not sound, they 



32 THE HORSE. 

often go apparently soundly, though they are ever after- 
wards liable to accidents. When this cure occurs they 
do not move in pain, but are still Unsoui^d. 

Where the disorganization is only in front of the pas- 
tern bone, and not in the way of any joint, or approach- 
ing the heels, all inflammation or disease has disappeared. 
The animal will suffer no inconvenience from quick work, 
and IS therefore sound, but shows a Blemish. 



CAN^KER. 



Thrushes neglected will turn to canker. This disease 
in the hoof is easily detected, and is very troublesome to 
cure. A cankered horse is Uksoukd. 



WIKDGALLS. 

Windgalls are situate at the bottom of the cannon 
bone on each side of the leg, just above the pastern joint, 
at the union of these two bones. They yield to pressure. 
They appear to the eye like small enlargements, and feel 
soft to the hand when it is passed over them. They are 
not an uitsoukdn^ess in themselves, unless, as in rare 
instances and very extreme cases, they occasion lameness. 

They are a proof that the horse has done work, their 
size depending upon the age at which this work was done, 
and the neglect the horse was subjected to at the time. 

Unless they are of the worst kind (the largest size), 
I never would reject a superior horse for windgalls. 
They are no inconvenience to him, and are not an unsound- 
ness, becoming less and less as the work is decreased 
till they disappear altogether; they are never seen in very 
old and fairly-worked horses. With the exception of the 
above-mentioned case, horses having windgalls are SouiS'D. 



HOW TO BUY AiN^D SELL. 33 

BAl^DAGES. 

Where the constant use of bandages is required to 
enable a horse to perform the ordinary work cf horses of 
his class, he is Ui^sound. 

Bandages are good things properly applied, and there 
is a great deal of humanity in their seasonable appropria- 
tion and right use. You should remember, however, 
that there may also be ^^too much of a good thing," and 
that by over doing the thing, or bandaging improperly, 
you defeat your own purpose. 

Why is the hair on that horse's legs so curled? I can 
never see it without pitying the poor brute, and thinking 
of the purgatory he has endured, through the ignorance 
of the groom — ignorance it must be; kindness dictated 
the use of bandages, but kindness did not intend them to 
be a torture, which they became by being thus tight and 
stopping circulation. As errors arising from good nature 
are the easiest cured; once show that these errors cause 
the pain which should be prevented, and they are not 
likely to occur again. When bandages are used, they 
should never be drawn tightly round the horse's legs, for 
in that case they weaken instead of strengthen, and 
cause the hair to curl. Put bandages lightly and easily 
round the leg; a very little keeps them up, and should 
they come down a hundred times, it is better than that 
the horse should be tortured once. There are very few 
who will not, in a trifling number of applications, acquire 
the habit of fitting them so easily that they are a great 
comfort and very serviceable to the legs under many cir- 
cumstances, and will not curl the hair or leave unsightly 
marks; nor will they, when thus properly put on, punish 
the horse, or slip down. 



SPLEKTS. 

Splents are hard bony lumps at the inside of the leg, 
towards the back of the cannon bone, anywhere below 



34 THE HOESE. 

the knee and above the pastern joints, but mostly mid- 
way between the joints named, in which situation they 
are of the least consequence. 

They are occasioned by breaking the colt too young, 
by blows from the fork to make him lift his legs off the 
straw when his bed is being made, kicks from the groom, 
blows from each other, or received in leaping, from 
strains, from being over-weighted, and from cutting the 
inside heel too low, whereby too much weight is thrown 
upon the sesamoid bone, which is the small bone at the 
back of the leg or cannon bone, and between it and the 
tendon. 

While forming, they frequently occasion great lame- 
ness, on account of the inflammation going on while 
nature is uniting the small bone (sesamoid) behind to 
the cannon (or large bone of the leg), that they may 
strengthen one another. Generally splents are only 
found on the legs of young horses; for, although nature 
does not again disunite the bones, she absorbs those 
lumps which are conspicuous in the young horse. 

After this union, it is presumed that the horse is not 
as springy as before; I must say, however, I never dis- 
covered any difference in elasticity. But, as they do not 
inconvenience him after they are completely formed, and 
all inflammation has ceased, so that he goes free from 
pain (and as it is allowed that his legs are stronger and 
less liable than formerly to injury) it is a blemish of the 
least consequence only, and the animal can be warranted 
as SouN"D. 

As the horse gets older, these excrescences disappear, 
although the union of the bones is asfirm as ever. 



SPEEDY CUT. 



Speedy cut is seen on the inside, and rather on the 
hind edge and lower corner, of the knee. Sometimes the 



HOW TO BUY AKD SELL. 35 

bone is enlarged without any bald place to assist in detect- 
ing the habit, at others the skin only is cut; sometimes 
both. Like other enlargements, it may increase from an 
almost imperceptible size and little inconvenience, to a 
size both conspicuous and unsightly, as well as dangerous. 

Speedy cut is occasioned by the horse twisting his legs 
in action, so as to strike the shoe or foot of the one leg 
against the knee of the other. It is done when the horse 
is going faster, or being driven more up to the bit, at the 
same time stepping higher, than he is capable of doing 
with propriety. 

Horses given to this action are mostly good-couraged, 
and a thorough horseman who knows how to make them 
step without touching, at th^ same time bringing out 
their good qualities, sometimes obtains a pleasant horse 
quite cheaply. 

To others than good horsemen, such animals are very 
dangerous — dear at a gift. Boots are a little safeguard. 
Down hill is their worst chance, and the attempt at hold- 
ing them up, except by the thorough horseman, too often 
brings them down. 

Eeject them if you value your limbs and neck, although 
they are allowed to be soun^d; and properly so, where 
they are capable of going at the usual pace without 
inconvenience, performing the usual work of horses of 
their class (not speedy cutters) with ordinary usage, 
without the necessity of boots or more than ordinary 
care. But where, as is frequently the case, the horse 
cannot travel usual distances at the ordinary pace, with 
the common rate of horsemen, without seriously cutting 
and otherwise endangering himself, there ought to be a 
difference; I myself do not believe that he is soui^D. I 
would recommend the seller, where there is the least 
tendency to this defect, always to except speedy cutting 
in his receipt; otherwise, he is likely to get into a 
dilemma. The door is open for dispute. Where is the 



36 THE HOESE. 

man who is not a horseman in his own estimation? 
"Who is there among our acquaintances that, if he is not 
a whip or horseman of the first water, is not considerably 
above the average? Do you know any one so modest as 
to allow that he belongs to the second-class? On the 
contrary, have you not found that, however ignorant 
they may have been before they had a horse, with 
their first they have become miraculously invested with 
all the abilities of Phaeton? Well, then, they have only 
to state their case to a lawyer, when he replies that it is a 
capital plea for an action; but actions are expensive and 
vexatious, and as all the evils above enumerated are to 
be avoided by a little caution, will it not be better to use it? 



HOCKS. 



The hocks are an important part of the horse; his 
speed, strength, and capability to perform certain kinds 
of work depending almost entirely, if not altogether, 
upon these joints. 

The blood horse cannot be a racer without sufficient 
leverage in the hocks to give him both speed and strength. 

The hunter must be but a poor leaper without a certain 
perfection here; and then, in proportion to this desirable 
state, all other things combining, so will he vary from 
the best to the worst horse of his description. 

The parade or menage horse, in order to be good and 
capable of continuing even for a few minutes at the 
height of parade action, must have these parts quite as 
strong as any other description of horse. 

The military horse, again, although not having them 
called into such violent exertion, or so frequently as the 
three kinds above-mentioned, yet from being set a great 
deal upon his haunches, and having to halt suddenly, and 
being heavily weighted, requires much strength here. 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL. 37 

This is one of the principal reasons why these horses are 
usually found such good workers. 

Ladies' horses, perhaps haye their hocks most tried in 
proportion to the weight they carry, from their contin- 
ually cantering. This pace is most calculated to try these 
joints, from the long exertion required in the one pace. 
If proper horses for ladies to ride, they are "well upon 
their haunches," and stojD as well as the charger, with 
their hind legs well under them. 

In fact, no horse can be either easy, safe, or satisfactory 
to ride, that does not take a large proportion of his burden 
on his hind legs. 

The hackney has some relief by change from one pace 
to the other. But to be superior, he must take the 
weight on his hind legs; this enables him to go in a corky, 
light, and springy manner, — ^no shaking. You will hear 
this perfection thus described: "He goes as light as a 
cork," "would not break an egg.'' Horses thus trained 
cannot shake you; neither can they fall or stumble. 

The harness horse has neither to canter nor leap, neith- 
er has he weight upon his back. Here you have to con- 
sider the speed required, and the weight he has to draw, 
with the style of action you desire; whether you will be 
satisfied with merely being moved along, or whether you 
wish to make a dash; how much of a pace, of action, or 
of grandeur, you require or are willing to sacrifice. 



CUEBS. 



Curbs are hard bony enlargements at the back and on 
the lower part of the hock. They may be of such little 
consequence as to be called only enlargements on the seat 
of curb, or large enough to be curbs. While forming, the 
horse is sure to be lame. Either they are a proof that 
the hocks are ill-formed (weak), or are the result of mis- 



38 THE HOESE. 

management, over-work, strains, or blows. Ignorant 
breakers are the principal originators of curbs. Kicking 
in harness, or against the stalls, or any hard substance, 
will produce them on the best-formed hocks. When they 
have assumed a decided form, and have become hard 
bony substances, and all inflammation has left, if the 
horse goes sound, do not reject him, should he suit in all 
other respects. 

Whether a curbed horse is sound or unsound is a mat- 
ter of dispute. There are partisans on both sides, but I 
think the majority agree with me in opinion that, where 
he is capable of doing all the work required of horses of 
his class, as well with the curbs as without them, he is 

S0U2^D. 

If the curbs are large enough to be distinctly seen, or 
are disfigured by treatment or otherwise, they are 

Blemishes. 

To save trouble and expense, the best way, where there 
is the slightest enlargement, or the least doubtful qual- 
ity, is to make an exception in the warranty. (See copy 
of receipt, with warranty, on a subsequent page. ) Where 
the hocks are naturally ill-formed and weak, the horse 
is Unsound. 

While forming, the horse being lame, it is almost use- 
less to mention that he is indisputably Unsound. 

It is now to be hoped that from all I have said you will 
see that it is your fault if, from this cause, you lose a 
good horse from fastidious fear, or take a useless one 
screened by customary subterfuge. 



SPAVINS. 



Spavins are enlargements on the inside, and rather to- 
ward the front of the hock; they are produced in the 
same manner as curbs. 



HOW TO BUT AND SELL. 39 

If completely formed and low down, quite away from 
the joint, and rather behind, and the horse goes sound, 
having hocks otherwise perfect, do not reject him. 

These also occasion difference of opinion. You never 
find a hunter that has done any work, without his having 
either the seat of curb or that of spavin enlarged. He is, 
nevertheless, sound, and capable of doing work better 
than the younger ones. Both diseases are brought on by 
the same causes. Perhaps, of the two, the spavin is more 
the result of severe work, when there is generally some lit- 
tle stiffness. Too often the groom treats the wrong 
places; or if he does treat the right ones, yet the evil is 
only deferred, for if the horse is continued at severe 
work, the spavins will form and re-form. Proper treat- 
ment may prevent their being of the larger size, and may 
lessen the evil. When they have formed, and the horse 
does his work like the rest of the old ones who have gone 
through the same process, the groom commends himself 
for the result, and the owner congratulates himself upon 
the improved constitution (strength) of the horse. 

Taking all parts of the hocks into consideration, if 
they are affected by what is termed enlargement on the 
seat of spavin, the disease being determined, and not 
likely to increase, I need hardly say that, if the horse goes 
sound, he is, according to common sense, Soui^D. 

The law, however, being unsettled, cases having been 
decided both ways, the best way is, as in the case of 
curb and other diseases, to except spavins in the war- 
ranty. 

Here it may be as well to state the opinion of a well- 
known sportsman and horseman, not on account of its 
being an exclusive opinion of his own, but as the opinion 
of most practical men of his class. He states, that there 
are no hunters without curbs or spavins, or both, and 
that they are Souis'd. 

Horses with enlarged hocks, going sound, are sold al- 



40 THE HOKSE. 

most every day, with a warranty, without the least suspi- 
cion being entertained of their being wrong. All those 
acquainted with hunting establishments and the hocks of 
horses must be aware that there does not seem to arise any 
inconvenience from the practice. Why then should not 
this custom become a law? At all horse repositories, you 
will see horses with these enlargements, but going sound, 
sold with a warranty, the buyer rarely discovering that 
there ever was the least flaw. 



CAPPED HOCKS. 

Capped hocks are the result of blows, not unfrequently 
from kicking, or rubbing against sharp corners of the 
stall-post.. Stone or fluted iron pillars at the back end 
of the stalls are the most frequent cause. They are un- 
sightly, but they in no way inconvenience the animal, 
unless suppuration takes place, when they heal soon, and 
the swelling disappears. While this suppuration is go- 
ing on, and the wound is unhealed, as there is a disease 
in progress, the horse is Unsound. 

Although in itself simple, there is no telling with cer- 
tainty what will be the result: but when the horse is cured, 
he is Sound. 

Where these is no appearance of suppuration taking 
place, he is Sound. 

Where capped hocks, from their size, become a disfig- 
urement to the horse, a suspicious sign on harness horses, 
they must be recorded as a Blemish. 



GKOGGY. 



Horses that are what is usually termed groggy do not 
nod, or, rather, bow their heads, on account of being 



HOW TO BUY Al^B SELL. 41 

equally lame with, both forefeet. Their ears are placed 
backwards when in action, and there is a peculiarity about 
their stepping, as if from anxiety to retain their feet 
upon the ground each time they touched it. There is 
also a peculiarity in the working of the shoulder-blades, 
and, in spite of their mostly going well upon their 
haunches to relieve their forefeet, they are very shaky 
and unpleasant, more especially when put into the canter. 
Some consider them easy in the trot. They ought, how- 
ever, to be used only in harness, or where there is no 
weight on the back: they are IlKSOUi^D. 



LAME. 



Horses when more tender in one foot than the other — 
presumiDg it is the forefoot or leg — droop the head 
when they step upon the unsound foot, and raise it when 
stepping on the sound one; they also step '^longer" with 
the lame one than the sound one, and keep it a shorter 
time on the ground. You may hear the lame foot touch 
the ground lighter than the sound one with its hard, 
firm, short step. Lameness is the language of pain, ex- 
pressing no more than the animal really feels; it tells the 
plain and honest truth, with the greatest simplicity. Is 
not this the strongest appeal to our sympathies? Ought 
we not to attend to their dictates, and do all we can to 
relieve their sufferings? 

A little care at the proper period will often prevent a 
lameness becoming permanent. Slight attention will re- 
lieve the pain of the incurable. 

Many horses, which go lame with weight upon their 
backs, will go sound in single harness, because the weight 
is lessened; and often, where lame here, will go sound in 
double, because there is no weight at all. 

Instead of riding a lame horse, try single or double har- 
ness. There are some who can perform slow work with- 



42 THE HORSE. 

out paiiij even on the road, when they are no longer fit 
for fast work; and even when the road is too hard, they 
may work about a farm. I need hardly add that there is 
great cruelty in keeping horses to any fast work when 
lame in it, and that frequently at slow work, particularly 
on soft ground, they will become sound if kept a suffi- 
cient time employed upon it. From the preceding ob- 
servations, you will see the propriety of having the horse 
ridden prior to purchase. 

One fallacy I must here point out, as it is often prac- 
tised by persons who would not be guilty of cruelty, if 
they imagined they were perpetrating it; and many others 
may be deterred by the money consideration: it is the 
mistake of keeping horses at work when they are lame, 
thinking that they will work sound. It must be remem- 
bered that all lameness, with rare exceptions, is curable 
(if proper remedies are resorted to) with perfect rest at 
the commencement of the disease. But if lameness contin- 
ues without remedy beyond six weeks, some disorganiza- 
tion will take place. The diseases of horses are rapid in 
their progress and quickly come to a definite termination; 
and though, after neglect, the disease may be mitigated, 
the horse can never be restored to perfect soukdkess, 
but will most probably be a cripple and in pain to the 
end of his days. In the earliest stages of the disease, too, 
the injured part is more easily discovered. This is more 
than half the cure. 

ISTor is the veterinarian to be blamed for not being too 
confident as to the immediate seat of disease. The horse 
cannot point to an affected part and say, " There I feel 
the pain;" but together, horse and doctor will soon un- 
derstand enough of each other to hit upon the spot and 
work right. 

When lame behind, horses carry their heads high, go 
with a catch of the hind leg, and roll the hips. Every 
species of lameness and tenderness is an Unsoundness. 



HOW TO BUT AKD SELL. 43 

KHEUMATISM. 

Eheumatism can be discovered only when the horse is 
lame, and, consequently, unsound; but should you be 
able to prove that the horse was afflicted with rheuma- 
tism within a reasonable time of purchase, and that he 
was subject to that disease before you purchased him, — 
even though he was going sound at the time of purchase, 
— ^if he was warranted, he is returnable. This is a dis- 
ease generally brought on horses by carelessness and the 
supposition that they are never afflicted by it. Horses 
should not be exposed to draughts, particularly in the 
stable, the flooring of which, more especially the straw, 
should be dry for them to lie upon. As horses are ex- 
posed to damp and cold out of doors, people imagine it 
matters not what condition the stable may be in, think- 
ing only that, if foul, it may spoil their coats. Out of 
doors and at liberty horses are not exposed to draughts; 
whenever they can they will get out of them; and when 
unpleasantly cold, will move about and warm themselves. 
This they have not room to do in the stable. Do they 
ever lie down in the wet out of doors? They choose the 
driest spot they can find; and when cold, they will either 
roll and get an extra layer of dirt as a covering, or other- 
wise exercise themselves. 

For this disease it is usual to treat in the vicinity of 
the round bone. Therefore, when you see marks of blis- 
tering, setons, or firing on this part, even though the 
horse at the time of examination goes free from lameness, 
you have reason to apprehend occasional inconvenience 
from the temporary lameness occasioned by this com- 
plaint; and, while subject to the return at intervals, or 
where it is a determined complaint of the horse, the ani- 
mal is Uk'SOUnd. 

Where the cure has been effected some time and no re- 
lapse had occurred, as it is clear that the malady has not 



44 THE HORSE. 

become a constitutional complaint of the horse, then it 
may be considered that a permanent cure has been efPect- 
ed, and the animal be warranted as Soujs'D. 



THOROUGH PIl^S. 



There are few horses who have done any work with- 
out acquiring thorough pins. They are a windgall in 
the hock. Unless they cause inconvenience, which, is 
rarely the case, the horse is Soui^^D. 



BLOOD SPAVIK. 

Blood spavin is the enlargement of the thigh vein, 
where it passes over the inside of the hock. It is known 
by giving way and disappearing in a great degree upon 
pressure being applied below it; but it returns as soon as 
the pressure is removed. Blood spavins never produce 
lameness, and are of rare occurrence. Severe strains, 
bruises, or other local injuries are the cause. Some will 
not admit that the disease is an unsoundness, while oth- 
ers maintain that it is. Be it which it may, in those 
cases where it proves of no consequence, it can only be 
fastidiousness to refuse the horse; therefore, no reasona- 
ble person will object to this being excepted from the 
warranty. 

Blood spavins may be produced in an instant. One 
step or slip is sufficient; therefore, admitting it is an un- 
soundness, and you discovered one, half an hour after 
purchase, you could not return the horse, unless you 
could prove he had had it prior to purchase. 

This may appear strange at first sight; but when you 
reflect that, even though you may not have moved the 
horse one yard, a slip in the stall, a blow, or getting up 
in a hurry, may produce them, you must see that it is no 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL. 45 

more than just that the seller's responsibility should end 
with delivery; m at least so far that it becomes your duty 
after acceptance, should the defect appear, to prove that 
the disease or tendency thereto existed prior to delivery 
or date of warranty. 



BOG SPAVII^. 

Bog spavin is a windgall on the inside front of the hock 
joint. After it is once formed, and all heat and inflam- 
mation are gone, it is rarely of any consequence. 

Where it does not interfere with the horse's action, and 
he has done the ordinary work of horses of his class for 
the required time since it formed, without extra rest, or 
inconvenience, then is he Sou:n'd. 



steizntg halt. 

This disease may be at once detected by the awkward 
catch of the leg affected, the action of this leg being much 
higher than the others, and drawn up by a jerk. It is 
seldom seen in both hind legs. The collapse of the mus- 
cle, which is by some persons supposed to be the cause of 
this peculiar action, is occasioned by the interior of the 
muscle having been formed into a kind of cyst or bag by 
an abscess which, having discharged the pus, leaves the 
interior of the muscle open. It is frequently supposed 
to arise from inflammation of the nerve; while others 
say it is an excess of energy without disease; if the latter 
is the case, and the horse experiences no pain, or weak- 
ness, or anything to prevent it from working as well as 
ever, he is Souxd. 

This defect should, however, always be mentioned by 
the vendor. 

But supposing others to be right who conjecture that 



46 THE HORSE. 

it is occasioned by an inflamed nerve, then it must be 

TJl^SOUKD. 

I should, therefore, advise the warranty to have this 
disease excepted. 

LOW HIP. 

One hip being lower than the other is occasioned by a 
blow having knocked the lower one out of its place. It 
is, in fact, a fracture, and the broken part being unre- 
placeable, is drawn down by the muscles and unites below 
its original place. When the horse ceases to go lame, as 
he usually soon does, he is sound; it must, nevertheless, 
be recorded in the warranty as a Blemish. 



OTHER DISEASES OF JOINTS. 

With the other joints all difficulty is soon removea, 
as they show their diseases by lameness, and when well 
they are Sound. 

If any enlargement or scar remains, it is a Blemish. 



GREASE. 



Grease is a disease seldom seen in well-managed 
stables. It is a proof of neglect. If recent, it is 
easily cured, and is, therefore, of little consequence. 
Till cured, the horse is Unsound. 

Afterwards, Sound. 



CRACKED HEELS. 

When of recent occurrence, cracked heels are of less 
consequence than grease. Till cured, the animal is 

Unsound. 
Afterwards, Sound. 



HOW TO BUT AKD SELL. 47 

SWOLLEN LEGS. 

When swollen legs proceed from dropsy, or farcy, or 
are of long standing, and therefore a sign of general 
debility, they are difficult of cure, and the horse is 
mostly useless, except for slow work, and therefore 

Unsoukd. 

In the milder forms, where the swelling arises either 
from too much fatigue, or from want of medicine, 
whether tonics, depletants, or exercise, until cured the 
horse is UisrsouN'D. 

When the swelling is permanently removed Soukd. 



STARIIfG COAT. 

Where the horse's coat is harsh, dry, and staring, 
you may at once make up your mind that he is 

Uksotjkd. 

If he has not an active disease, he has a chronic one. 
Eoarers, whistlers, those with old coughs and broken 
wind and subject to megrims, old crib biters, wind- 
suckers, etc., etc., all have their coats more or less af- 
fected. 



WEIsTS. 



A wen situate about the upper part of the windpipe, 
or upon any main vein or artery, where it is likely to be 
of consequence, is an Ui^soukdjtess. 

But if wens occur on other parts, as on the top of the 
hock, termed cap hock, on the elbow, or on any other 
place where they are of little consequence, and could be 
removed without danger if they should become an incon- 
venience, but at present appear at a fixed and determined 
size and form, then is the horse Soukd. 



48 THE HORSE. 

CUTTING. 

Should there be any places on the inside of the pastern 
joint which have at some period had the hair knocked 
off by the foot of the opposite leg, which you may know 
to be the fact by the little bald places that remain ever 
after, you must examine the action and present condition 
of the horse, so as to ascertain whether it was weakness, 
poverty, being over-worked, or worked too young, bad 
horsemanship, or a natural defect in the action of the 
horse, that induced cutting. 

This last ought to be an UNSOUKDisrESS, according to 
the rule laid down, and is so, where the malformation is 
so serious as to render the horse naturally incapable of 
doing the work of horses of his class, unless, whatever 
his breed, he is to be numbered with the slow-draught 
horses; in that case he is inefficient, not being capable of 
the ordinary work of horses of his class. 

When a horse uses his legs so awkwardly that on the 
least exertion he must cut them — whether the peculiar 
gait of the animal has been acquired by bad management, 
or from usage in the breakings or from malformation — 
my opinion is that he is Uksoukd. 

The law should be governed by common sense, and a 
jury, I feel confident, would be of the same opinion; for 
in this latter case it is only by extreme care and not tiring 
the horse that you can keep his legs from becoming raw. 
While the legs are in that state any horse is UKSOUisrD. 

It requires care to keep him from falling. Cuts prevent 
his doing the work of horses of his class with ordinary 
care, and this renders him doubly dangerous, as horse- 
men will not be troubled with so unsatisfactory an animal. 

Where the horse has been cut through over-fatigue 
or poverty, and has recovered from the weakness conse- 
quent thereon, requiring no more care than other horses, 
the wounds being healed, he is Sound. 



HOW TO BUT Aiq^D SELL. 49 

EAT TAIL. 

Eat tail is indiscriminately employed to describe the 
tail of the horse when it is either quite free from hair or 
partially so. It does not prevent the horse in any way 
from being Soukd. 

Although unsightly^ it is not a blemish that will enable 
the purchaser to return the horse, as it is impossible not 
to notice so glaring a disfigurement. When it is covered 
by false hair, or any other fraud is i^ractised in order to 
hide it, the offence is punishable. 

This is considered by some a sign of a good 
horse. What the loss of the hair off the tail has to do 
with the qualities of the animal we do not pretend to 
fathom; perhaps the notion has arisen from the naked 
stump giving an appearance of width to its quarters. 
The itching occasioned by disease sometimes causes both 
good and bad horses to become minus their tail-hair. 

Keeping the tail well and frequently washed with soft 
soap will always re]3roduce the hair in the earlier stages, 
and not unfrequently in cases of long standing. 



U:N'N'EEYIi^G. 

Horses having had the operation of neurotomy (popu- 
larly called unnerving) performed upon them go free 
from lameness, with action more or less high, their step 
being hard and heavy; the height of action and degree of 
hardness of tread depend on the way the operation is 
performed and the place operated upon. To discover 
whether the high operation has been performed, that is, 
depriving of feeling every portion of the leg and foot 
below the marks described, pass the hand along the back 
sinew; if the horse catches up the leg sharply, this ought 
to excite your suspicion. If you find one or two little 
knobs or lumps, you have still stronger reason for sus- 
3 



50 THE HORSE. 

picion; but if it is, on these scars being pressed, that lie 
lifts his legs suddenly, depend upon it that he has been 
unnerved there, and that therefore they will never vrear 
any great length of time, — most probably not three 
months. Should the symptoms just described present 
themselves on feeling along the back of the pastern, 
between the junction of the cannon-bone and the pas- 
tern, and the foot, the operation of neurotomy has been 
performed at that place. In the latter case, the unnerving 
has been performed on the back of the pastern -joint, the 
foot being deprived of feeling at the hinder portion only. 
The horse is capable of showmg any injury the other 
portions of the foot receive, — as pricks from the black- 
smith, bruises from stones, etc. He therefore stands a 
better chance of having his ailments attended to before 
it is too late. How long they will work, apparently 
sound, after the operation, is altogether a lottery; in some 
instances, with the lower operation, the horse works 
free from pain for many years; therefore, in some cases of 
lameness, it is an act of humanity to have the horse 
unnerved, as it may save him many years of suffering, 
and enable him to retain his serviceableness to the last. 
But it is seldom worth any one's while to buy under such 
risk, particularly if recently performed; for, should the 
navicular disease be present, although, since the opera- 
tion, the animal has been free from lameness, a fracture 
of the union of the navicular and- coffin bones at the 
minute joint which they form within the horny hoof will 
be the result, and speedy death from mortification will 
most probably follow. 



COUEAGE. 



. That the horse does not give way readily to pain, there 
are numerous instances on record. He rushes on the 



HOW TO BUY AJ^D SELL. 51 

sword when he feels the point pierce his bosom. How- 
ever fatigued or ill he may be, on he plods his weary way 
till death kindly relieves him. What other animal does 
this? Man himself sometimes dies from over-exertion, 
but seldom while in the act. The dog — the faithful 
companion who never forsakes his master — when over- 
fatigued will lie down on the wayside, leaving his friend 
to proceed alone; no entreaty can urge him unto deatli. 
Not so the poor, ill-requited, over-worked, abused horse; 
neither pain nor privation checks his services, as the fol- 
lowing authenticated anecdote, as well as many other 
instances which must rush upon the memory of every 
horseman, or of any one who reads a newspaper, serves 
to illustrate; besides, the circumstance serves to show 
the effect of the o23eration, described in the preceding 
article on unnerving when performed upon an improj^er 
subject, and the indomitable spirit just referred to. 
Hearing the following tale related as having occurred in 
Scotland, I took some pains, when travelling through 
that country, to ascertain the particulars. 

The mare which is the subject of this story belonged 
to a Mr. Miens, a large coach proprietor in Glasgow. 
After some trouble I saw him, when he told me the mare 
I referred to was a chestnut, that she ran a stage between 
Carlisle and Glasgow as leader, that she had been 
unnerved — the high operation — and that the disease for 
which she was operated upon was the navicular. One 
dark night, about three or four months after the opera- 
tion, the coachman felt her drop, but she recovered her- 
self, and ran to the end of the stage. She was then dis- 
covered to be very lame, and, upon examination in the 
stable, it was found that the whole of the foot was off, 
and that she must consequently have run some distance 
on the stump of the leg bone. The next morning the 
foot was discovered at a distance of not less than two 
miles from the inn she arrived at, and, from other marks 



52 THE HORSE. 

upon the road, it was clear that the poor beast must have 
come at least that distance on the raw and dislocated 
stump. 

I have entered more fully into this operation than into 
any other, as I have often found it difl6.cult to make people 
"understand how it is that the horse is not sound or cured 
by that operation which takes away the lameness. 

Although the lower portion of the limb is never 
restored to its natural quick sensibility, if the horse 
works free from pain for from two or three years, there is 
every probability that he will continue to do so, the nerve 
being united, the horse can perform all the work of 
horses of his class; yet, until we have better data to go 
upon as to the mischief resulting from injuries in 
consequence of this muffled or deadened sensation, he 
must still be pronounced UjS"SOUi^D. 



CHINKED BACK. 

Chinked back, which is a slight dislocation or injury of 
the vertebras or of the spinal cord running through then;, 
is caused by the horse being pulled up suddenly by an 
unskillful horseman, or being over- weighted. The mis- 
fortune occurs in a moment, where the horse is stopped 
on the instant, unless his legs are properly placed 
at the precise time; it is therefore dangerous for any but 
an accomplished horseman to attempt it, and more es- 
pecially from the circumstance that the horse is not a re- 
turnable purchase if you discover this defect a few min- 
utes after purchase, unless you can prove that the injury 
existed prior to his becoming your pro23erty. When the 
horse drops at the pastern joint of the hind legs while 
being ridden, you have reason to apprehend this defect, 
particularly where you find that the front of the hind 
pastern joint has been cut or injured at any time, or that 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL. 63 

the liorse grunts on being backed, or winces on being 
pressed on the affected part. Unsound. 

Where the injury is slight, chinked-back horses fre- 
quently carry light weights very well, but are best in har- 
ness, more particularly in double harness. How long they 
may keep usable depends on the management of those 
who use them, and upon their proper adaptation to their 
work. Unsound. 



BROKEN BACK. 

The name sufficiently explains this injury. It is known 
by an aggrayation of all the symptoms mentioned in 
chinked-back, added to which broken-backed horses can- 
not kick. They may work a little as leaders in carts, or 
do other slow work. At all events, when you are a buyer, 
consider them useless and Unsound. 



DROPPING BEHIND. 

Dropping behind, or knuckling with the pastern joint 
or joints, may be produced by chinked or broken back. 
(See both these articles. ) In either of these cases the 
horse is Unsound. 

Where, as is frequently the case, it is merely occa- 
sioned by a pressure upon the kidneys from want of med- 
icine, until the physic, when applied, has ceased to affect 
him, the horse is Unsound. 

When the medicine has worked ofp, if he no longer 
drops, he is Sound. 

Sometimes an awkward-fitting saddle will occasion him 
to drop as above described. Here you have only to re- 
move the cause, when it is hardly necessary to add that 
the horse is Sound, 



54 THE HORSE. 

STUMBLII^G. 

In the well-formed liorse, stumbling is an impossibil- 
ity^ unless he is leg-weary, the shoes do not fit properly, or 
the saddle hurts him; mind not what either the saddler 
or groom says, but depend npon it that the saddle does 
hurt him, if, upon examination, you find that the shoes 
do not hurt. I have seen too many instances of their mis- 
takes to care what they say, and am convinced that very 
few really know when a saddle does fit. I have bought 
many horses that had got into disgrace for this fault, but 
they have never stumbled after they came into my pos- 
session. The secret was, I took care to have a saddle that 
fitted both the horse and my own ideas. (See article on 
Broken Knees. ) Persevere in using a misfitting saddle, 
and the horse will fall. 



LAMENESS. 

Should your horse go lame behind when mounted, and 
not at other times, as this most probably is caused by the 
saddle pressing on the backbone, try another saddle. The 
same remark applies to his going lame before, under sim- 
ilar circumstances, except ^that in this case the saddle 
hurts the foreparts. 

If, when the saddle is changed, he goes free from lame- 
ness, the animal may be considered Soun'D. 



DROPPIKG BEFORE. 

Dropping before, or knuckling with the pastern joint 
of the forefoot, if not occasioned by tender feet or weak- 
ness, but arising solely from youth or carelessness, does 
not affect the horse's soundness. 

The exceptions are treated under their respective heads; 
in these cases horses are UI!fSOUl^^D. 



HOW TO BUT AKB SELL. 55 

Dropping before may be occasioned by treading on a 
stone, by a misfitting saddle, or by accidents of any 
kind. In either of tlie last-mentioned cases, the horse is 

Sou:n^d. 

See the preceding three articles. 

If the dropping-before arises from malformation or ten- 
der feet, the horse is UifSOUKD. 



FLESHY HEEL. 



Fleshy heel is an abnormal structure of the frog, 
wherein the sensitive paj-t of the foot becomes too much 
exposed, the horse thereby being more or less tender ac- 
cording to the progress of the disease, and therefore 

Ui<rsouN"D. 



CUXKIlirG LAMEN-ESS. 

In those cases in which horses are said to sham lame- 
ness, that is, appearing sound at one time and unsound 
at another, there is invariably something wrong; it is not 
a case of shamming, but of painful reality, (See the ar- 
ticle on '^Unnerving.") In such cases a reason can 
always be found, either in a shght touch of rheumatism, 
paralysis, or non-adjustment or misfit of the saddle. 

To illustrate these facts, I will mention one out of the 
many cases that have come under my notice. 

A friend of mine had a delightful little mare, remark- 
able for her height in the withers, named ^^ Brunette." 
This mare I was requested to examine with a view to- 
wards discovermg the rationale of her contmually stum- 
bling in a very serious manner, and at uncertain and un- 
expected times. 

She was certain, if she made one initiatory stumble, to 
continue stumbling all day; contrariwise, if she did not 



56 , THE HOESE. 

stumble soon after starting, she might be trusted to do 
her day's work throughout, without stumbling. 

Upon examining her as to form, etc., I concluded that 
the cause of this misbehavior must be in some fault in her 
tackle, and I therefore inquired whether she always wore 
the same saddle. I was told that she wore various sad- 
dles, which were shown to me; I therefore selected and 
marked one for her use, and very shortly afterwards she 
ceased stumbling. 

Her groom had always considered this habit to be a 
mischievous trick on her part, induced by her recollect- 
ino- havinof been brouo-ht home by her master in conse- 
quence of the stumbling; and he told me that if she had 
been well punished in the first instance, she would have 
had the trick flogged out of her, and would have given no 
subsequent trouble. I myself believe that had such a 
course been adopted, the mare would have had her knees 
broken, and that fistula v^^ould soon have been developed 
upon her withers. 

As it now appeared that, though she had ceased to 
stumble or go lame when ridden with an ordinary saddle, 
she invariably went lame when ridden by a lady. I was 
asked whether I could account for this peculiarity other- 
wise than by cunning. Again I referred the evil to the 
saddle; and, upon inquiry, I found that the owner had 
hitherto been unable to procure a side-saddle of such a 
make as not to raw the back of the mare when used by a 
lady for an hour or two at a time, making it necessary, 
therefore, that the next day should be, so to speak, wasted 
in paying attention to the abrasion thus produced. I also 
ascertained that the stuffing of the side-saddle had been 
altered and shifted every time she went out — about three 
times a week. I sent for the saddler and sliowed him 
what was wanting; but he either could not, or would not 
understand me; and although he had had the saddle several 
times under his hands, he had not been able to alter it. 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL/ 57 

SO as to make it fit for more than one or two day's work. 
Happening to be jiresent on the last occasion on which he 
brought back the saddle, and knowing how repeatedly he 
had failed to make it fit, I made some remarks which ex- 
cited his anger, and he declared that no one could succeed 
better than he had done, and defied any one to make a 
lady's saddle that would not hurt the mare. I therefore 
altered the saddle myself, and successfully; for, during 
several subsequent years in which my friend kept and 
used the mare, she never went lame, never had a sore 
back, and never made one single stumble. 

How often has it fallen to my lot to see good horses 
sacrificed needlessly, through the use of insufficient or 
inappropriate tackle, and apparently becoming lame and 
weakened! 



BEARING-REIN. 

Among the many advantages of dispensing with the 
bearing-rein, not the least is that of doing away with the 
nut which fastens the hook m the saddle, as this not un- 
commonly hurts the horse's back, producing, if not 
broken knees and fistula, at least a troublesome sore on 
the withers. 

Whether such a result be the smallest pimple or the 
largest wen, the merest abrasion or the foulest ulcer, the 
horse is, in any case Unsound. 

When the sore is healed, and the horse is restored to 
perfect usefulness, he is again Sound. 

When the saddle hurts the horse so much as to cause 
him to go lame, or to fall upon his knees, and no sore 
is visible on the removal of the saddle, he is Sound. 

But, should there be any wound caused by the saddle, 
the animal is, until cured. Unsound. 

Under no circumstances should the bearing-rein be 
tight. When it is too tight it prevents the animal from 



58 THE HOESB. 

throwing the necessary weight upon the collar, disturbs 
the circulation to the head, and causes apoplexy, me- 
grims, and other evils. But in doublfe harness the bear- 
ing-rein should be sufficiently tight to prevent the horses 
from catching their bits in the pole-piece, though this 
prevention is sometimes attempted by removing the lower 
bar from the bit. What is thereby avoided, however, at 
the bottom of the bit, frequently occurs to an equal ex- 
tent by the catching of the cheek of the bit in the other 
horse's head-gear. 

I have dwelt thus far upon the injuries arising from a 
misfitting saddle, as they cause great annoyance and pain 
to the horse, as well as inconvenience to the owner, and 
are easily rectified by any one who will take the trouble 
to look in the right direction for the cause; especially as 
the same remarks apply to all parts of misfitting trapping, 
such as saddles, bridles, harness, rollers, head-stalls, etc. 
For in this case, what is true of one part applies to all 
the horse's furniture, when even the slightest injury is 
caused to him. 

A misfitting bridle or winker may, and often does, pro- 
duce blindness or severe shying; yet this, like many other 
simple things, has been often overlooked or misappre- 
hended, from a natural proneness to forget that '^ great 
events from little causes spring." 

Thus, in ^-Brunette's" case, before named, I proved 
that the fault lay in the saddle. Some persons attributed 
her habit of stumbling to cunning; others, of a more 
scientific turn of mind, stated it, variously, to be partial 
paralysis; the remains of an old strain only felt by the 
mare when carrying a one-sided weight; or the result of 
an old strain, which, owing to the almost imperceptible 
changes in the atmosphere, affecting, as such changes do, 
the constitutions of all animals, affected her more at one 
time than at another. 

True it is that the weather and atmosphere exercise 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL. 69 

considerable influence on tlie health and spirits of horses; 
it is, nevertheless, unnecessary to seek out remote and 
unaccountable causes, until we have examined the more 
matter-of-fact ones which are within our reach. 



SIN'EWS. 



When the sinews at the back of the fore legs become 
thickened, between the knee and the pastern joint, as 
there is always more or less weakness or irritability re- 
sulting from old strains, the horse is Uis'SOUiq'D. 

When the sinews of the hind leg, between the hock and 
the pastern, become thickened, even if this thickening 
vanishes when the horse takes exercise, he must be held 
to be Uksou:n^d. 

If, on the contrary, such thickening be the result of a 
blow, appears callous, does not occasion inconvenience, 
and does not decrease when the horse is at exercise, the 
horse must, in that respect, be esteemed Sound. 

Great care must, in such cases, be taken that he do not 
kick when in harness. 



BROKEN WIND. 

The disease, broken wind, is easily recognized by the 
horse's peculiar suppressed cough when at exercise, after 
a hearty meal, or upon being changed from one kind of 
atmosphere to another, — as, for instance, from the stable 
air to a cold and foggy atmosphere, or vice versa. 

If you observe a horse thus afflicted, when he is quiet, 
you may notice that the flank appears to distend and con- 
tract twice while the ribs rise once. 

Immediately after brisk exercise this labored breath is 
still more apparent; the nostrils being more or less dis- 



60 THE HOKSE. 

tended, and a. peculiar seam or wrinkle between them be- 
ing perceptible, wbereas in horses of *'good wind" no 
such mark can be found. 

Broken-winded horses are Ui^soukd. 



KOARIKG. 

Horses afflicted with the disease named roaring make, 
when galloping or trotting, a peculiar noise, the nature 
of which IS sufficiently indicated by its name. Such 
horses, upon being suddenly agitated, checked, or pulled 
up short, make more or less of this noise, according to 
the progress the disease has made. Eoaring is a chronic 
disease of the windj^ipe, or perhaps, more correctly, the 
remains of such a disease; but when it is not acute or se- 
rious, the horse does not appear to suffer much incon- 
venience from it in its earlier stages, although the noise 
caused by it is very unpleasant; if the horse is put to fast 
work, the noise will increase, till it at last becomes most 
distressing to both horse and user. 

The roarer's coat usually indicates a departure from 
robust health, however fat the horse may be. 

Such a horse is adapted to slow work only, and is 



GEUKTIKG. 

Although grunting, which is produced in the horse by 
his being suddenly agitated by the use of spur or whip, 
or by his being pulled up hastily, is not unlike roaring, 
yet as he does not make the former sound on any other 
occasion, I believe the two affections, roaring and grunt- 
ing, to be quite distinct. 

The coat of the grimter does not imply disease. 



HOW TO BUY AKD SELL. Gl 

I myself have never known, nor have I ever met any 
one who has known, this complaint to change into roar- 
ing; yet, as many persons think it probable that it might 
do so, and that it may be the remains of some disease, 
the horse is considered to be Unsound. 

My opinion is that the noise proceeds from nervous- 
ness, and not from any disease; and that as it does not 
hinder the animal from performing the labor due from 
one of his class, the horse is Sound. 

However, as opinions differ upon this subject, the safest 
course is to bar even grunting in a warranty for sound- 
ness. 



WHISTLING. 

The presence of whistling is easily ascertained by a 
sharp gallop, which will quickly cause, if it be present, 
the wheezing or whistling noise. This malady may or 
may not be curable. When it is only attendant upon 
another disease, the whistling will vanish with the dis- 
ease : thus, for instance, it frequently accompanies a cold, 
but, on the cold being cured, vanishes and is not heard 
again. Where it assumes a chronic form, as it fre- 
quently does when produced by water on- the chest, by 
inflammation of the lungs, or by injury to the windpipe, 
it is incurable. 

As the cold is, per se, an unsoundness, whistling is, of 
course, in this, its least aggravated form, an 

Unsoundness. 

When a good and serviceable horse has become affected 
with whistling only in his gallop, and not m his trot, 
he does not suffer inconvenience from this pace, and he 
may advantageously, if suited to that kind of work, be 
put into harness; and although there may exist some lit- 
tle wheezing, a fair pace does not distress the animal; he 



62 THE HOESE. 

may be usefully employed in harness-work, while his 
whistling will be drowned by the noise of the wheels: he 
is, however, Uksoukd. 

WHEEZIi^G. 

See the article on '^ Whistling." 



COUGH. 

However simple or however recent in origin a cough 
may be, while it lasts the horse is Uksoui^d. 

It is of great importance that immediate attention be 
paid to the horse on the first symptoms of cough being 
noticed, while the cure is easy. The diseases to which 
horses are liable are, for the most part, rapid in progress; 
every hour of delay increases the difficulty, and in a short 
time the disease becomes developed in an acute or chronic 
form, condemning the horse to a life of base drudgery, 
and making him miserable to the end of his days. 



CHEOKIC COUGH. 

While some horses, when laboring under chronic 
cough, are almost useless, others are but little inconven- 
ienced and are as useful as ever: they are all,however, 

Ui^SOUND. 

See the article on ^' Cough." 



COLDS. 



A horse suffering from cold in the head, which often 
produces whistling, is, for the nonce, XJksoukd. 

See articles on ''* Cough" and "Whistling." 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL. 63 " 

ASTHMA. 

Asthma may be recognized by the short, soft cough 
that it produces. In some cases the inconvenience caused 
by this complaint is but slight, the horse giving merely a 
scarcely perceptible cough on coming out of or going 
into the stable, and the more in the winter than in sum- 
mer: the extent of such cough depends upon the atmos- 
phere and cleanliness of his box. Very commonly, horses 
touched with asthma do not cough when working, nor 
seem distressed like broken- winded horses. 

Such horses often last many years, fulfilling the func- 
tions of their particular class, without inconvenience; 
yet, as there is chronic disease present, bssides an as- 
sumed predisposition to injury of the lungs, they are 

Ui^SOUKD. 



CEIB-BITIKG. 

Crib-biting is a habit that some horses nave, of taking 
hold of the manger with the teeth, or of resting the jaw^s 
upon it, accompanied by a disagreeable noise caused by 
sucking in and ejecting wind. It is a trick which horses 
sometimes learn of one another, but it is generally caused 
by neglect in providing work for these naturally active 
animals; by omitting, when young, to keep them, when 
unexercised, on a mouthing bit; and by allowing them to 
stand idle in the stable with no food before them, es- 
pecially when their heads are tied up, so that they can- 
not amuse themselves by picking about in their beds. 

The stomach of the horse has a natural tendency to 
keep distended, and therefore, if it be not replenished 
with food, it will become filled with air, and, 'if distended 
by too profuse a supply of the latter, wdll cause uncom- 
fortable sensations to him : in which case, as he is, by na- 
ture, incapable of eructating; reason or instinct, which- 



64 THE HOKSE. 

ever expression you prefer, induces him to adopt this 
method as the most effectual means of relicYing himself 
from this inconvenience. 

In its earlier stages, a little well-timed attention will 
cure a horse of this practice; and if he be in good con- 
dition, and his coat smooth, soft, and pliable, he is, in 
spite of -this habit, Soukd. 

As crib-biting will, in all probability, if not quickly 
checked, lead to serious results, specified in the following- 
article, it may be deemed to be a Vice. 

In the more advanced stages of crib-biting, neglect 
will have allowed the stomach and digestive organs to 
become affected, and the horse, being therefore diseased, 
will be Unsound. 

In this latter stage of the disease the horse is thin, his 
coat stares or looks unthrifty, and his hide becomes tight; 
his cure is then difficult to effect, and is generally 
troublesome, if not impossible, to bring about. 



PEEYENTION OF CEIB-BITING (iN THE EAKLY STAGES.) 

Moderating the work will frequently cure horses of 
crib-biting, and will, where they appear weakly and out 
of order, and their coats "stare," (even though they be 
not crib-biters,) reinstate them in health. In the latter 
cases an earlier release for the night from work should be 
granted when circumstances allow. 



EATING BEDS. 



Many persons feel alarmed at their horses eating their 
beds; and very frequently in such cases grooms physic 
their horses with a view towards preventing this habit; 



HOW TO BUY AKD SELL. 66 

certainly, while the nausea resulting from the medicine 
lasts, the desired effect is produced; but, when the nausea 
is gone, the horse returns more ravenously than ever to the 
practice, and so, eventually, by repeated physickmgs, the 
healthy tone of the stomach is destroyed, and the refu- 
sal to eat sufficiently is met with extra medicine, in a 
vain attempt to restore the appetite which has been wan- 
tonly and foolishly damaged. 

To such alarmists a few observations concerning this 
craving of the horse may be useful. I myself have been 
asked to provide some preventive for this habit, and 
my inyariable answer has been, — ^' Keep better food be- 
fore the horse; never let him stand too long without ex- 
ercise or sufficient to eat, and you may depend upon 
finding that he will never eat his dirty bed." 

If you follow this advice, you may be sure that he will 
not eat dirty straw, and that, if he does eat a little clean 
straw from his new bed, he does so only either when he 
finds an unthreshed ear, or when, having been too highly 
fed, he picks up a little to distend his stomach with some- 
thing rather less nutritious than his accustomed fare. 

Bed-eating is not a disease, and a horse with this habit 
can be warranted as Soui^D. 

And, as it is not attended by any real inconvenience, 
but is often a proof of good constitution, it is not even 
regarded as a Vice. 

Arabs are delighted when they see a horse eat his own 
dung, saying that that is a proof that he will not starve. 

More harm is done by letting horses stand too long 
without food than by putting too much before them; and 
although it is true that a ravenous horse does occasion- 
ally burst his stomach by excess in eating, as for instance, 
when he gets loose and finds out the corn-bin, yet such 
cases occur only when he has been much restricted in his 
diet, or has been worked for many hours, at a spell, with- 
out food. These cases are of very rare occurrence, and 



66 THE HOESE. 

would be still more uncommon were proper and sufficient 
food regularly supplied. 

Who has ever heard of a stage-coach horse, unstinted 
in his food, eating to this excess; or a horse at grass 
bursting himself in this manner? 

Craving horses are the horses that should be selected 
for real work, but they are liable to become crib-biters if 
too stringent a rule be observed in the matter of food or 
exercise. 

On the other hand, it is the horse having a delicate 
stomach, and not the hard- worker, that requires pamper- 
ing and nursing, care being taken that he be not fed ad 
Qiauseam. Such a horse, on account of his indisposition 
to feed or work, does not show much evidence of past 
labor. 

Except where under medical treatment, he is Souistd. 



THE SOUN'D HORSE. 

The sound horse is often too delicate to undergo an 
amount of work which distresses the legs, but he is nev- 
ertheless much coveted; while the useful horse, possessing 
good stamina, the power to work without causing pain to 
himself, and every evidence that he will long retain that 
power, is too often rejected, because he shows a few signs 
of past work. 

Horse-buyers are too apt to be frightened at trifles 
through their ignorance of real and imaginary defects. 
When horses are being tried, it is no uncommon occur- 
rence to see an animal brought out with a little enlarge- 
ment upon some part of him. He is instantly rejected, 
with, — ^' I can never think of having that!" Another 
is brought forward that has some other trifling ailment, 
and he is sent back with the remark, " Put him in; that's 
quite enough! " A useless one may, probably, be brought 



HOW TO BUT AN^D SELL. 67 

forward next. He is sound, because there is not even a 
bump, speck, spot, or blemish upon him ! He is accepted 
with — ^'That will do." The secret why such an one is so 
purchasable has to be learned. It is, however, most fre- 
quently the case that the horse has no pluck, or is too 
weak to hurt his limbs. He can never do a day's v/ork, 
and costs more for nursing, petting, and physicking, 
than it would take to keep two useful ones; yet the latter 
are always ^^ ready." For this reason, we must have a 
distinct class of horses: the second-hand horses, or the 
*^ used ones," as they are generally called, — and these 
should be warranted as ^* used horses," — that is, as show- 
ing some signs of having done work. They will, how- 
ever, be treated upon, and more particularly described, 
in another part of this work. 



Wli^D-SUCKING. 

This habiu is somewhat similar to crib-biting, except 
that the horse does not take hold of anything, and that 
the noise frequently differs slightly. It is a species of 
crib-biting, and is more difficult to cure, as the horse is 
out of condition when it is addicted to wind-sucking. 
The muzzle is of no use in this case, and to effect a cure 
the same discipline must be observed as that recommend- 
ed for crib-biting. Sometimes crib-biting degenerates into 
wind-sucking, which latter disease is caused by rubbing 
over the manger filthy and greasy messes, in order to pre- 
vent the horse from biting the wood. The disease of 
wind-sucking renders the horse Ui^souxD. 



WEAYIl^G. 



Weaving is a habit of moving from side to side in the 
stall, something in the manner of a weaver's shuttle, but 



68 THE HOESE. 

really more like the restless habits of confined animals in 
a menagerie. Weaving is generally contracted through 
idleness, and is frequently learnt on board ship. Weav- 
ers are mostly nervous horses, full of energy, good work- 
ers, and SouKD. 



TO CURE WEAYIKG. 



The same steps may be taken to cure weaving, as are 
mentioned in the preceding article : in addition, it is well 
to fasten the horse with two pillar reins attached respec- 
tively to each side of the halter, and tight enough to pre- 
vent him from swinging or swaying. 



DULLNESS. 

Having examined the more general reasons for reject- 
ing horses at sale, we have now to consider causes of sec- 
ondary importance, yet such as must receive attention. 

The nostril is one of the most important parts of the 
horse to be attended to: it is much overlooked. There 
are many horses that are called dull, sorry jades, who 
will be found to go for a short distance good-humoredly 
and at a good pace, and then draw in, bearing a severe pun- 
ishment rather than improve their pace. ^^ What a dull, 
lazy brute it is ! " cries its owner, but in reality he is 
neither dull nor lazy. The cause of his difficulty lies m 
the smallness of his nostril, which is not sufficiently 
large to permit enough air to pass up for purifying the 
blood as it passes through the animal's lungs. The con- 
sequence is, that with every increase of speed the animal 
suffers acute pain. This too small nostril is the cause of 
slowness or dullness in all mferiorly-bred horses. 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL. 69 

Where horses are well-bred, dullness is more likely to 
arise from a contraction of the bones than from a diminu- 
tive nostril. 

Where speed and continuous labor, therefore, are re- 
quired, the above two provocations to dullness should be 
well looked into: even in thorough -bred horses we find 
some imperfection or other; and it should be borne in 
mind that a horse falling short of qualities sufficient for 
making him a first-rate racer, may make a good country 
hunter, or hackney. For the hundredth time I say — 
Adapt a horse to the work best suited to his condition, 
and all will be well. Of course this plan will sometimes 
alter a horse's class, but, being equal to the work of the 
class into which he is drafted, he is Soujs"D. 

Where disease creates dullness, he is UiifSOUifD. 



MALFOEMATIOi^S. 

Malformations are not an unsoundness unless the horse 
is diseased or lame, or is prevented from doing the work 
of the class to which he belongs. 

Where there is any doubt of the horse's ability to stand 
the work of his class upon the supposition that the af- 
fected part has not been permanently healed, the buyer is 
naturally anxious to try the horse before he purchases 
it. Now, as there seems to be very absurd ideas enter- 
tained by many persons as to what may be done with 
horses on trial, and as the subject is of much importance 
to both buyer and seller, perhaps I cannot do better than 
devote some space to it. 



THE TRIAL. 



Having satisfied yourself upon the general merits of the 
horse, try him, and, whilst trying him, use him fairly, 



70 THE HOESE. 

according to tlie treatment to which horses of his class 
and condition are subjected. Thus, suppose you are in 
want of a horse able to trot twelve miles an hour, and 
upon trial of one you put him to that pace without the 
consent of the owner, in such case, should any accident 
or subsequent illness occur or be presumed to occur to the 
horse as the result of the trial, you may be m.ade to take 
him at the price agreed upon before starting (and a price 
should be always agreed upon), or you may be made to 
pay the damage done to him, should the owner feel dis- 
posed to compel you so to do. It may seem inconsistent 
that you should not be permitted to risk accidents, with 
penalty for their occurrence, by trying a horse at the full 
speed he should go as one of his class; but as there may 
be so many interpretations put upon what is a just and 
what an unjust trial, it is best to have with you at the 
time the owner or his agent; for if you took the horse 
further than you were authorized to do by the owner, if 
you drove it faster, or took it over a different road than 
the one stipulated, and did this in the absence of the 
owner or his representative, you would have. to pay the 
cost of any damage done to the animal; but not so if the 
owner were with you, and he made no objection to your 
methods of operation. 

Again, if you state that you want a saddle-horse, and 
receive such an one, but instead of using him for the sad- 
dle, you try him in harness; for any accidents accruing 
therefrom you will be liable; so that if you only mark him 
with the collar, or m any other trifling way, nay, should 
you rub ofl a few hairs so as to interfere with the imme- 
diate sale of the horse, or depreciate his price, the owner 
can insist upon your taking him off his hands or paying 
for the injury done. 

If you want a saddle horse, and try him as you would a 
hunter, then are. you liable for accidents, although they 
may occur at another part of the trial, because it may be 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL. 71 

that the improper exertion to which he has been sub- 
jected may have conduced to the accident. 

A particular condition, to be acquired only by a cer- 
tain treatment or training, will enable the horse to ac- 
complish any extraordinary work, as in the case of the 
racer, the hunter, and the trotter. But the further re- 
moved he is from his legitimate work, so much greater 
is the chance of the animal's being ruined, even when ex- 
ercised for a short time only. You should also bear in 
mind that horses for sale are generally in the very worst 
possible condition to bear fatigue: they are got up to 
catch the eye and are made as soft and sleek as possible. 
In the *^ selling state" they are, so to speak, all fat; in 
their "trained state," all muscle. It is the opinion of 
many horse-buyers that horses should always be in a 
"trained condition;" but the simple and ordinary re- 
qnirements of commercial transactions render this, gener- 
ally, impossible. The trotter is the horse kept nearest 
this state of training, being mostly in the hands of those 
who possess only one horse, and who are consequently 
always putting their animal to the trial. A really sound 
trotter is, therefore, a most uncommon thing: the excep- 
tions must be sought in those studs where trotters are 
kept only as match horses and for short distances. Trot- 
ters are of all horses the most tried — the most overtried. 
Many indifferent horsemen would have no hesitation at 
driving the trotter, but they would as soon attempt to fly 
as to mount the racer. 

Neither extreme is good. Horses should not be too 
much worn when sold, and they certainly should not be 
got up to such a pitch of sleekness and delicacy that 
attacks of inflammation or other diseases would be at- 
tended by more than ordinary danger to the animal. 
Dealers of course would prefer keeping their horses in a 
more rugged and vigorous condition, but hitherto buy- 
ers have looked at horses as butchers do at oxen, and val- 



72 THE HOESE. 

ued them in proportion to the amount of fat they carry. 
Of course this is an error; but improvement is beginnmg, 
for the dealers m live meat do certainly look for many 
things now besides fat, and they are right. 

Perhaps this place is as good as any other to remark 
upon the absurdity of buying an animal that had once 
in his life performed a particular feat, instead of seeking 
to possess horses of capacity for general usefulness. As 
well accept for man-servant a decrepid old man who once 
in his life was most active and had done the state some 
service. Choose a horse, as you would a man, for his 
ability and willingness; then husband his resources, and 
you may have a good and faithful servant for many years. 



SUBFEIT. 



Should surfeit amount to more than a few spots upon 
the outside of the quarters, particularly the hind quar- 
ters, it is of little consequence. If you are desirous of hav- 
ing the horse, but from the number of spots upon him 
you apprehend farcy, it will be advisable in making the 
bargain to stipulate for a cure of the disease within a 
fortnight. With proper treatment, the mere surfeit 
may be cured in that time. Until cured, however, the 
horse is Uhsound. 



BLEEDIKG. 

Accepting the definition of soundness that it is perfect 
health, whilst every deviation is indicative of unsound- 
ness, then the simple necessity for drawing blood renders 
the horse unsound, and consequently, until the orifice 
made by the lancet is healed, he is Uksound. 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL. 73 

MEDICINE. 

To require a dose of medicine is an unsoundness; 
therefore, as in the case last mentioned, until the effects 
of the medicine are removed, the horse is Unsound. 



DIET AND EXERCISE. 



Eequiring a particular treatment of either diet or ex- 
ercise — a treatment widely different from that which is 
ordinarily adopted — is a deyiation from soundness. 



dealers' HORSES. 

After studying the preceding part of this book, more 
particularly the contents of the three last paragraphs, 
the question may naturally arise — ^^How is it possible 
that dealers' horses pass at all; for, certainly in the case 
of high-priced horses, attention must be paid to every 
little nicety with a view towards securing sound animals? " 
It is just this, that as the buyer compels the vendor to 
keep his horses in a state so highly ^'finished," the buyer 
must make allowances or he will never effect a purchase. 

If a horse is capable of undergoing the trial as well as 
other horses in the same adipose state, being, in all other 
respects, just as he should be according to the rules laid 
down in this work, then he is Sound. 

Nobody but the purchaser is to blame for a horse, 
with no one perceptible defect, having around it as 
it were an atmosphere of doubt and uncertainty; but 
where he does not mean to put the horse immediately to 
work, but intends to bring him to it pro^Derly by degrees, 
the animal will not suffer. But if horses newly pur- 
4 



74 THE HOESE. 

chased from the dealer's hands are at once put to work 
without due consideration, some severe disease often ac- 
crues, which, if it does not kill them off, may render 
them cripples for life. When this really occurs — and it 
is by no means unfrequent, the purchaser blames the 
vendor, who does not deserve it. because, were he not to 
keep his horses in the finest possible condition, he could 
not command a high price for them. This accounts for 
the general complaint of the difficulty in obtaining good 
saddle horses. 



SADDLE HORSES. 

To make a good saddle horse is a work of time, and 
during the process of training he must be ridden by good 
horsemen who know what they are about. To break him 
in well, you will subject him to many little accidents; 
and certain little things, the result of the exercise, will 
be sure to make their appearance, which will be construed 
to be the result of work. Over-fastidious buyers will often 
be thus deceived, and reject a well-trained saddle horse 
for a sleeker animal whose action is not set. Therefore 
let it be noted as a fact that until certain crotchets and 
fancied imperfections are overlooked, and are no longer 
bugbears, we shall want good saddle horses. Those 
who are fortunate enough to possess such a treasure 
will not part with it until it is fairly worn out; nor 
would a dealer be at the trouble of producing another, 
nnless he could insure for it a price commensurate with 
the pains required for the operation. 

It is a common complaint that the horses of the pres- 
ent day do not lift their feet sufficiently high, in the 
same way that they did when saddle horses were more per- 
fect, this fault in them being erroneously attributed to 



HOW TO BUY AN^D SELL. 75 

their breed. The thorough-bred horse may oe taught to 
lift his leg as high and bend his knee as well as any- 
other, even after he has been trained for racing; and he 
then is better than the old-fashioned saddle horse, be- 
cause safer and easier, and his breed renders him capable 
of doing more work. 



HUKTEES. 

After reading the above remarks upon saddle horses, 
you may naturally ask. How is it, then, that we have good 
hunters now in some portions of the country? It is 
because known hunters are seldom offered for sale in a 
pursy state; or, if they are in such a condition at any 
time, they undergo a thorough training before they are 
set to work. The remark also applies to young horses 
that are bought for the purpose of making hunters: it 
would indeed be a raw hand that would take a fat hunter 
into the field. 

Again, hunters are known, and exchange hands upon 
their merits. Who ever refused the best horse in the hunt 
because he had windgalls, enlarged hocks, or any of tlie 
thousand and one objections made to other and unknown 
horses? If the hunter is capable of performing cleverly 
the various standard feats of the hunting-field, many an 
imperfect piece of his symmetry is overlooked. 

"Besides," remarks some one, "broken knees in the 
hunter are not of any consequence." From this I beg to 
dissent. Of all the horses I should least like the hunter 
to be a tumble-down, and for this good reason: — the 
shoulders of the tumble-down are upright, so that at par- 
ticular leaps he can not extend his fore-legs sufficiently 
to come down on his fore-feet, and most likely when he 
thus over-jumps himself, he comes down head first. I 
am confident there never was an instance of the 



76 THE HORSE. 

rider being killed by bis horse rolling beels over head 
upon him unless that horse were upright in his shoulders. 
Although I hate any horse approaching to a tumble- 
down for any purpose whatever, I should prefer that a 
saddle horse should fall with me on the road, though he 
should cut himself to pieces, rather than I would risk 
leaping with an upright-shouldered hunter. In severe 
leaps there is more force required than in ordinary riding, 
and therefore the obliquity is more needed. But I 
would rather avoid both. I hate the action of these 
horses. 



VICES. 



In speakmg of the vices of horses, we must first observe 
that a warranty of soundness does not infer that the 
horse is free from vice, unless such be particularly 
expressed. Next, you must bear in mind that a very 
vicious horse may be a very sound one, and that, too, 
because perhaps on account of his bad habits his owners 
may have been afraid of using him. 

Vice may be either that which is dangerous to those 
who have to do with the animal, being confined to either 
the stable, to the work generally, or to only one partic- 
ular kind of work; or it may be of a nature to effect only 
the horse himself, or his master in a pecuniary point of 
view, by lessening the value. Of such last may be men- 
tioned wind-suckers, crib-biters, weavers, horses having 
a determined trick of getting loose In the stable, (although 
there may be a certain degree of innocence in their mis- 
chief,) for they may be the cause of injury to themselves 
or others. 

Kicking one another, or at people, either in their work 
or at any other time, if with ill nature, is a Vice. 

Biting one another, or those about them, unless in 



now TO BUY ajh^d sell. 77 

play, or whatever trick tends to the injury of themselves 
or others, is a Vice. 

In the first or most serious class of vices may he 
enumerated — kicking and hiting in or out of the stable; 
kicking at the leg of the rider or driver, either when 
mounting into the saddle or at any other time; or rearing, 
or running away, or rubbing the rider's leg against 
anything, or lying down when wanted to proceed, 
or falling on the side, or stopping suddenly when in a 
fast pace, or violently insisting upon going to any place 
that the horse happens to have been at before. Jibbing, 
or refusing to proceed, is a vice: so is backing 
against the owner's will, or turning round with violence 
when not required so to do, unless this results from mis- 
management of the user. A refusal to stand still in order 
to be mounted, if from ill nature, may be classed under 
this head. Bucking or raising the back when mounted, 
and then putting the head between the fore-legs and jump- 
ing, is a disagreeable and -dangerous vice; so is the trick 
of swelling out the body till either the girths or straps to 
which they are buckled give way. If horses are guilty of 
any of the vices here enumerated and have been sold as 
well-broken horses, warranted free from vice, they are 
returnable. The half-broken colt may be guilty of some 
of these habits without being vicious; but thenceforth 
it depends upon the way of procedure. 

This being merely a catalogue of vices, some of them 
will be more particularly described under their respective 
headings, together with their causes, effects, and reme- 
dies, in order that buyers may know where certain vices 
are barred, or whether they amount to a reason for the 
total rejection of the horse or not. 

Should you, however, put a horse into harness without 
having a guarantee that he is quiet to drive, and he then 
proves guilty of one or more of the active vices, you 
cannot return him. 



78 THE HOKSE. 

' Warranted quiet in liarness ^' bars all injurious vices 
affecting that particular work. There is one vice, how- 
ever, said to be questionable, although I doubt it; that 
is " jibbing/' or refusing to move when required to do so. 
But where the horse runs back, there can be no doubt 
about the vice proving dangerous and a bar to a perfect 
warranty. Lying down, another trick of a jibber, is also 
a dangerous vice, if only on account of the shafts, inde- 
pendently of other and personal risks. Also, where the 
horse, after standing awhile, goes off with a violent rush, 
rear, or plunge, there can be no doubt of the danger 
(except in skillful hands),, or of the vice. This also 
requires some qualification, as a mere jump, lift, or start 
at a canter may be magnified by the timid. Again, it is 
a query whether it is not the coachman, rather than the 
horse, that is in fault; and in the former case the horse 
is not do be held to be vicious. 

A horse may be quiet in harness, yet very vicious and 
dangerous out of it, either in the stable or to ride. 
These ars^i.not included in a warranty of ^^ quiet in har- 
ness," because in the last two cases he is out of the har- 
ness. "Free from vice," added to "quiet in harness," 
signifies that the animal is also quiet in the stable. He 
may, however, be vicious to ride, so that where he is 
wanted for this purpose also, " to ride " must be added 
in the warranty, as the seller may contend that he sold 
him for harness only. 

The receipts hereafter given will show how all these 
difficulties may be overcome. 

A simple warranty of soundness does not necessarily 
imply quietness. A horse may be as vicious as possible, 
so much so as to become almost useless, and at the same 
time not render himself returnable. "Free from vice or 
any general inclination to do mischief," alludes to the 
stable as well as to the work of the horse. Still he may 
not be well broken, as this does not imply that he is so or 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL. 79 

otherwise; therefore, the being thus untutored would not 
make him returnable. But, if, though unbroken, he has 
acquired bad tricks or vices, he is returnable. Add 
"quiet to ride," and he must perform this. He may, 
nevertheless, not be broken further than just to *^back," 
as it is termed — that is, to allow any one to be upon his 
back with the saddle while he carries him about. The 
phrase, a "good back," "good hunter," "ladies' horse," 
"menage," or "quiet in harness," or for whatever other 
purpose he may be required, should be specified. As an 
assistance, I give a few forms of receii3t, which may be 
easily adapted to suit any purpose required. 



RECEIPTS OK WARRANTIES. 

May, 18—. 

Received of , for a gelding, 

warranted sound, free from vice, and quiet to ride or 
drive, five hundred dollars. — A. B. 

'N. B. — This includes the commonest purpose, wdth 
quietness both within and without doors; also soundness. 
Any qualification may be left out or added; as for 
example : — 

June, 18 — . 

Received of , two hundred 

dollars, for a chestnut mare, warranted sound, with the 
exception of a slightly enlarged hock — quiet to ride. — B. 0. 

The hock being the only exception, should there be any 
^other unsoundness, the purchaser can return the horse; 
but not for vice, as that is not mentioned; neij;her is 
harness-work. Both of these, therefore, are at the 
buyer's risk. 

July, 18—. 

Received of , three hundred 

dollars, for a brown horse, warranted sound, with the 



80 THE HORSE. 

exception of an enlargement at the back of the near hock, 
on which he goes at present free from lameness. A good 
hunter. C. D. 

Any other unsoundness vitiates this warranty; or if it 
can be proved that he went lame on the excepted hock at 
the time of trial, he is returnable. Here he is only for one 
purpose, and may not be worth anything for any other 
work. But if he fulfills the warranty by being a good 
hunter, he does all that can be naturally expected of him. 
Good hunters are often useless for hackney- work. 

August, 18 — . 

Eeceived of , two hundred dollars, for 

a gray gelding, warranted sound, with the exception of 

, and upon which I warrant he 
has gone sound from to 

and np to the time of my giving this receipt. He is quiet 
in harness and a good hackney. D. E. 

Here the warranty, as far as the doubtful part, runs 
back to given time — upon the length of time that the 
horse has gone free from inconvenience, and you place 
your reliance upon his continuing to do so. If, therefore, 
you And that he has been lame on the excepted part with- 
in the period named, he is returnable, but not otherwise 
■ — this defect of lameness having been particularly speci- 
fied in the warranty. 

It will be readily perceived that any particular vice, 
vices, or defects, whether of eyes, limbs, wind, etc., etc., 
may be thus excepted; therefore, one more example will 
suffice. 

September, 18 — . 

Eeceived of , the sum of 

dollars, for a black horse, sixteen hands 
high, warranted sound, with the exception of an enlarge- 
ment on the off forefoot, but upon which he has gone 
sound during the whole of the last three months, since its 
formation. He is six years old. 



HOW TO BUY AKD SELL. 81 

HEIGHT AITD AGE. 

The last form is also a warranty of age — that he is past 
his fifth and not yet m his seventh year; for horses never 
alter less than one year at a time. If you can prove he 
has not arrived at his sixth year, or that he has entered 
his seventh, you can, if you are so disposed, return the 
horse. 

You will perceive that this last receipt is for a horse — 
meaning thereby an entire one — neither gelding nor 
mare. His height is also mentioned; but if you have any 
particular reason for stating his exact height, it must be 
on the special warranty placed after the word ^^ height," 
and not before it, or it will be presumed that you might 
have had him measured at the 'time of purchase. In 
order to avoid quibbling, it is the best way, where a given 
height is required, to put the horse under the standard. 
Even then there is much sleight of hand going on. Strict 
attention must, therefore, be paid if you are in any way 
particular to an inch. From the foregoing observations 
it will be seen that a simple warranty — '^ free from vice," 
applies to the stable only; to be quiet in his work, and 
each particular kind of work, must be specified, as in the 
first receipt. 



QUIET T^ HAEXESS. 

"Warranted quiet in harness" does not imply the long 
usage of a horse to that particular kind of work, or that 
he has become particularly handy. All that it engages is 
that the horse has been nsed sufficiently to prove that 
any coachman of tolerable ability may drive him without 
accident. Therefore, after buying a horse thus warrant- 
ed, before you put yourself to any expense in returning 
him on account of an accident, be sure the accident was 
not caused through your own negligence. A little negli- 



82 THE HOESE. 

gence or mismanagement may do a great deal of mis- 
chief. Too rough a hand upon a sensitive mouth, or a 
little nervousness or improper treatment in the driving, 
or inattention to the harness, may be all the fault, and, 
after being put to great e^^pense and inconvenience, you 
may still be obliged to retain the horse, as all those things 
that seemed the effect of vice have been occasioned by 
want of skill. 

A chance kick or rear, if merely in play, as is gener- 
ally the case when the animal is too fresh or in the habit 
of looking or playing on seeing certain objects (which 
some would term shying), is not a vice, and does not 
render the horse returnable, where it can be proved that 
he was in a good humor or wanted work. Any mischief 
that might result would be at the risk of the buyer. But 
where the seller allows any one to try a horse in harness, 
whilst thus too fresh, without giving a caution, all mis- 
chief that ensues falls upon the vendor's shoulders. 
Where this caution is given, he must either be a very 
good or a very foolhardy coachman to be his own driver 
until the seller has driven a little of this play out of 
him. 



SHYIKQ. 



When horses shy, it is either from unsoundness, play, 
or vice. It is generally occasioned by disease in the eye: 
cataract is the most common. Should the horse start at a 
little water or froth lying in the road, you may almost 
depend upon this disease being present, even though it 
exists in the shape of a speck no bigger than a pin's 
point. After cataracts are formed in the eye, that part 
of the pupil which is affected becomes opaque. Cataracts 
vary from the smallest specks to the obliteration or total 
opacity of the pupil, the shying increasing up to the last 
stage of blindness. Inflammation or cold in the eye 



HOW TO BUY A2^D SELL. 83 

will also produce shying. Every one of these stages, 
from the slightest inflammation to complete blindness 
of the affected eye or eyes, makes the horse 

Uksou:^d. 

When there is no inflammation present, the various 
diseases of this organ are easily detected, as well as the 
injury which the eyes have received from the imflamma- 
tions they have already undergone; but as this is only to 
be acquired by practice, it will be unnecessary for me to 
occui^y further space in attempting to explain that which 
would not assist those who are not already acquainted 
with the eye under all circumstances. I would merely ob- 
serve, as a general rule, that the eyes of those horses most 
subject to disorder appear small, and the upper lid 
wrinkled: they are termed ^^ buck-eyed." Every stage 
of shying proceeding from disease is an 

Ufsouj^dness. 

ISTot so where it is a matured habit produced by either 
a nervous or brutal user; in that case it is a Vice. 

It is not, however, a vice till it becomes a confirmed 
habit, because if, during the early stages the horse changes 
into judicious hands, he ceases to do wrong. 

Patience, and care in riding and driving will soon cure 
this. 

When the horse starts or plays from want of exercise, 
or from a sudden noise, of an unusual kind, or where it 
arises from standing in a dark stable, provided that the 
eyes are not seriously injured, and that the pupils soon 
contract from the dilatation the dark has occasioned to 
their natural size, he is free from vice and Soukd. 

To keep him sound the purchaser must put him into a 
lighter stable, when his eyes will keep right, and he will 
not shy; but if he be kept in the dark, disease will soon 
follow, and the animal will be, consequently, rendered 

U^^SOUKD. 

In the two last cases the horse is free from vice. 



84 THE HORSE. 

Young horses occasionally shy from having chronic di- 
latation of the pupils, and are then UlirsouKD. 

But where such dilatation is not chronic, as shown 
above, the defect is soon removed. 

Where the dilatation is the natural effect of age alone, if 
the horse merely looks or glances at objects without 
jumping or turning so as to occasion inconvenience, he 
is SOUKD. 

But if he stops suddenly, jumps to one side, or turns 
round quickly, whether resulting from defective sight, 
disease, old age, or any combination of these causes, the 
horse is Unsoui^^d. 



STARTING. 

Starting is a ViCB. 

See articles on ^'Shying" and ^^ Bolting." 



BOLTIKG — RUKNIKG AWAY. 

Bolting, or running away, is a serious YiCE. 

This does not, however, apply to the young horse when 
he jumps suddenly at any object that appears in a quiet 
by-road, or when he looks curiously at anything strange 
to him; he may even, under such circumstances, move 
over askew to the other side of the road, but this must 
not be considered to be a vice. Good riding is all that 
such a horse requires. 

If his eyes are perfect, he is Soukd. 



PLAT — PLAYFULNESS. 



Gamboling and good-humored play, resulting from 
plenty of ease, are not detrimental to the horse's value. 



HOW TO BUY AKD SELL. 86 

and they are easily got rid of, or, at the least, lessened by 
a little exercise. 

They may be considered to be, generally, a proof of a 
strong and vigorous state of health. 

A true horseman does not think any the worse of a 
horse for his playfulness; but as a nervous person might 
be alarmed at this habit, and put himself to some ex- 
pense in trying to effect a return of 'the horse to the 
vendor, it is well to add that, as playfulness is not a vice, 
the horse is not, on that account, returnable. 

But such a temper in a horse as is decidedly capricious 
or mischievous constitutes a Vice. 

The act of a horse looking slily or askance at any ob- 
jects that happen to catch his eye, while he is passing, 
must not be mistaken for shying; for the indecision of 
the rider's hand will convey a feeling of fear to the horse's 
mind through the effect of the bridle upon the mouth, 
while the horse will frequently anticipate the approach of 
a danger which is, in fact, imaginary, by feeling an un- 
due pressure, or a sudden and undecided loosening or 
tremulous motion of the rider's legs or knees. He is, 
consequently, suddenly alarmed, fancies that the very 
first object which he meets is the cause of the supposed 
danger, and tries, as instinct prompts him, to avoid it. 

If a horse that has been ridden by a nervous rider for 
a few times only be taken in hand by a thorough and 
clever-handed horseman, it will be found that he will re- 
cover his self-confidence in a very few days' work. It is 
a fault of greater or less magnitude, according to the time 
that may be required for its eradication, and therefore, 
until the cure be effected, and it be certain that no injury 
will accrue from past mismanagement, such a fault is a 

Vice. 

The horse that will not even step over a straw, when 
ridden by an undecided and hesitating rider, will fre- 
quently take any leap with him who rides with a cool de- 



86 THE HOESE. 

termination and a steady hand: so that, when the horse 
has contracted no permanent habit, but shies only while 
he is ridden m a nervous manner, as the fault is not in 
the horse, but in the master, the act of so shying does 
not constitute a Vice. 

Vice does not always render the animal, returnable to 
the vendor. If, through nervousness or any fault in 
management, you induce the horse to shy, you must not, 
on that account, attribute any blame to him; and, m 
order to enable you to succeed in effecting a return of 
the animal, you must be in a position to prove that he 
was, under proper management, addicted to shying pre- 
vious to your purchasing him. Facilis decensus averni ! 
Bad habits are far easier to inculcate or to acquire than 
good ones. 

It is easy to sell or to buy a horse, be he good or bad, 
but impossible to furnish, or acquire suddenly, the art 
of managing him properly. 

The above remarks as to the ease with which a horse 
contracts a habit of shying apply with equal force to all 
other habits which may be induced in him, either 
inside or ontside the stable; such as biting, kicking, 
plunging, Jibbing, savaging, etc. 

SKITTISHJS^ESS. 

Horses that are highly fed, and at the same time un- 
derworked, frequently acquire a way of spasmodic start- 
ing and playfulness, and are then called skittish; such 
horses being, by the uninitiated, not uncommonly called 
shiers. As the skittishness goes off on the horse being put 
to serious and hard work, it is not to be deemed a Vice. 



MEDICII^^E. 



A dose of medicine given to a horse, even though he 
require it, may make him unsound, until the physic has 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL. 87 

ceased to affect him. Under the same category of spe- 
cifics, I must mchide training, and sweating to get down 
some of the snperlluous fat; all trainers, however, know 
that these processes may he overdone. Any deviation 
from health is an Uxsoundness. 

Uiitil the effect of the medicine has passed off, there 
is such a deviation from health, as is proved by the 
altered pulse7 the derangement of appetite, and general 
dullness. Besides, owing to the great susceptibility of 
the stomach of the horse, until the effect has ceased, the 
ultimate result is uncertain; a dose, innocuous to one 
horse, being often almost, if not quite, fatal to another. 

It is better understood now than it was formerly, that, 
if the medicine, in proper quantities and at right times, 
has been administered to the horse, either to qualify him 
for work different from that to which he has beeu accus- 
tomed, or to restore him to his usual condition; as, for 
instance, on his return from grass, or on the commence- 
ment of his preparation for racing or hunting, and, if 
you can be satisfied that the dose was moderate, not in- 
jurious in its properties, and administered to the horse 
at the time when he was in a proper state of joerpara- 
tion to receive it, there is no great risk in purchasing 
him. I should not have gone so lengthily into the sub- 
ject of caution requisite in these cases, were it not that 
many still adhere to the system of giving a ball consist- 
ing of calomel (a medicine rarely necessary), and other 
drugs suflBlcient to ruin all the horses in a whole troop 
of cavalry. 

We cannot wonder, when we recollect the preposterous 
doses that were habitually given to horses a few years ago, 
that they often either destroyed the poor creatures, or 
rendered them permanently decrepit. 

It does not occur every day that there is any necessity 
to buy a horse when still under the effects of physic; yet 
there are cases when, from rivalry among those who know 



88 THE HORSE. 

him, anxiety is manifested to purchase a horse who would 
not, under other circumstances, be or be likely to be sold; 
and m such instances the successful competitor runs con- 
siderable risk. 

In spite of the unimportance in many cases, I think 
it right to show what dangers and chances may occa- 
sionally happen, as I have often been questioned on the 
subject. 

A short time since, two gentlemen were, at the same 
time, considering about buying a horse that was just then 
in physic, with a view to the preparation for a match m 
which he was engaged. One of the gentlemen had of- 
fered to purchase the horse as soon as the medicine had 
worked off: the other, in the meantime, consulted me as 
to what consequences might be apprehended, and, after 
I had examined the horse, and had satisfied myself as to 
his appearance, bought the horse, much to the chagrin 
of his more cautious rival. 



STRANGLES. 

It is frequently a matter for deliberation whether it 
would be advisable to buy a horse laboring under stran- 
gles (in whatever stage the disease may happen to be), or, 
in some cases, whether it would be prudent to purchase a 
horse which, though not actually afflicted with this dis- 
ease at the time, yet shows symptoms of its approach. 

In aged horses the appearance of strangles must be 
noted with some suspicion, as the horse generally has the 
, disease while young, and very rarely more than once, 
while the older horse Is more subject to glanders, which 
is sometimes mistaken for strangles. Strangles may so 
debilitate an old horse as to degenerate into glanders . 

Strangles is a disease which, if properly attended to on 
its first appearance, rarely terminates fatally m the result 



HOW TO BUY A2s^D SELL. 89 

denoted by the name: such a result is a very scarce ex- 
ception to the general rule — recovery. 

While the horse is under the influence of strangles, he 

is Uls^SOUND. 

In order to prevent mistakes, it would be an improve- 
ment, where there is the least suspicion of strangles, 
to have the warranty qualified by the addition of the 
words, " Except the strangles." 

This disease is curable within a few days; it rarely 
attacks old horses. 



COLDS. 



Cold in the head, of long standing, may be mistaken 
by those not conversant with the disease, for strangles, 
while it is, in fact, the worse of the two, and is of a far 
more serious nature than most people imagine. While 
the comparatively innocuous disease, strangles, is much 
dreaded, cold, until it shows its seriousness by extreme 
running, is thought lightly of. 

Cold, if long neglected, frequently degenerates into 
glanders; in any case, while the horse is suffering from 
it, he is U:sfSOUi?"D. 



GLAKDEKS. 

Glanders, which bears a very similar appearance to 
that of strangles, is a complaint of the very worst 
character. 

Glanders runs for years, if it does not, in the interim, 
terminate in death. 

It is easily communicated either by inoculation or 
imbibition; its contagiousness,. however, is very doubtful, 
as sound horses have been known to stand for years in 
the same stables with glandered ones without contracting 



90 THE HORSE. 

the disease; indeed, sound and glandered horses have 
been known to work together without the disease being 
communicated. 

Common causes of the disease are — overwork, an 
insufficient quantity of nutritious food, debility, and 
foul, close stables. 

Where the precaution laid down at the end of the article 
on ^' Strangles " has been observed, and there is no longer 
a doubt that the disease is of a more serious nature than 
that of strangles, the horse should be returned to the 
vendor, the chance of effecting a cure being very small; 
besides, there is danger of the attendant becoming inoc- 
ulated, the expense of promoting the cure is heavy, and 
the time that will elapse before the horse is sound and fit 
for work is considerable. 

Glanders is seldom accompanied by any cough, but one 
nostril is generally, in the early stages, aifected, there 
being a running from the nose of a glandered horse of a 
more glue-like or colloid nature than that in strangles; 
and it is useful to know that while the matter that runs 
from the nose in the former disease sinks in water, that 
which flows in strangles and cold, floats. 

Until the disease has made some progress, the horse 
appears to be in good health, and his eyes bright and 
clear; but it is prudent not to place too much reliance 
upon this absence of symptoms. The moment that you 
have any grounds for suspicion, procure a donkey or 
some other animal of little value — even a rabbit — and let 
him be inoculated with the matter; a few hours will 
decide whether the disease is or is not present. Should 
glanders be unmistakably discovered, the sooner both 
animals are destroyed the better. 

The inoculation of the donkey with the suspicious 
matter is not an inhuman act; for it is only the possible 
sacrifice of one life, to insure the preservation of we know 
not how many. Even the lives of the attendants are at 



HOW TO BUY A.ND SELL. 91 

stake, as it is well known tliat the reception of glandered 
matter in the slightest scratch or abrasion of the skin is 
almost certain to terminate fatally. 

Although the difference between cold, strangles, and 
glanders is sufficiently marked to be generally distin- 
guished, yet no description of them will render it safe for 
the uninitiated to decide with certainty which disease it is. 

The best plan is to put alone by themselves all horses 
afflicted with strangles or severe cold in the head, par- 
ticularly if they have been recently purchased; this will, 
at all events, prevent any chance of glanders, if present, 
being communicated to the other horses. 

It is hardly necessa-^ to add that a glandered horse is 

Unsound. 



BASTARD-STRANGLES, OR YIYES. 

When a horse has not had the strangles at the usual 
time, that is, generally, between the second and fourth 
year, he is frequently attacked by this disease, being in 
fact the strangles delayed till a later period of life than 
usual: Vives really meaning a revival of the attack, 
which is frequently called by old farriers, bastard- 
strangles, or vives, and which is a more obstinate com- 
plaint than true strangles. 

Yives is not often, in itself, fatal, nor difficult to cure, 
if attended to without delay; but, if neglected, it is often 
followed by very serious results, such as b]-oken-wind, or 
even glanders; it is originated by a severe cold too long 
neglected. 

The accompanying cough is more violent than that in 
strangles. 

A horse laboring under vives or bastard-strangles is 

Unsound. 

Should you have bought the horse with an expressed 



92 THE HOESE. 

understanding that the disease under which he is labor- 
ing was the strangles only, and that he was, in other 
respects, sound, you may return him if the complaint is 
found to be the yives, on the score of his not fulfilling 
the conditions of the warranty. 

BEIsTT BEFOEE. 

"When the fore-legs of the horse are bent forward at 
the knee, he is said to be bent before : this may proceed 
from overwork, or from pain in the feet resulting from 
contraction, inflammation, etc., but it more frequently 
proceeds from flat feet. In these cases, the animal is 

Unsouhd. 

When the cause does not consist in pain, and when the 
deviation from the natural line is but slight, and the 
horse can do his proper work without inconvenience, 
even then, as in the case of total blindness, the defect 
may be visible, but he is Sound. 

When "the profile of the fore-legs has a deviation of 
anything more than the very slightest, it is a Blemish. 

You must not be talked over into the belief that the 
horse was deformed to this extent when he was foaled, and 
that it is not, therefore, the result of hard work or mis- 
management, for though all colts are foaled crooked, or 
bent before, they remain so for a short time only. 

Bent-legged horses have a reputation for good courage; 
if they are bent but slightly, they are frequently safe and 
good saddle-horses. They are, however, best adapted 
to harness- work; and, when much bent, should be 
worked in double harness, so that they may be free 
from any weight on the back. 

UPEIGHT SHOULDEES. 

Horses may be sound and yet unsafe to ride. 
Amongst these are such as have upright shoulders, 
which result in some instances from bent legs. 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL. 93 

Horses of this kind are in this respect perfectly sound, 
as much as the blind horse is; for in the former, as well 
as the latter case, the defect is plainly visible. Though 
a very upright-shouldered horse is considered unsound 
in so far as regards his capabilities as a hunter, he is, 
nevertheless, able to do harness-work, without inconven- 
ience or danger, and, as long as he is kept for that kind 
of work only, is Soui^D. 

Many writers contend that upright shoulders are neces- 
sary to even first-class draught. I differ from them. But 
the horse being misplaced does not render him unsound. 

In thus alluding to his unfitness for hunting purposes, 
I take an extreme of upright shoulders: though there is 
danger in every degree of this make, that is, in every 
gradation, from the oblique or perfect contour, down to 
extreme and most faulty deformity. 

Therefore, horses with upright shoulders are, properly 
speaking, suitable for harness-work only; the nearer the 
shoulders approach to uprightness, the greater is the 
decrease in the horse's speed, until at length he is quali- 
fied for slow work only; so long as he has speed enough 
left in him for his required labor, he is well adapted for 
double harness or for four-wheel work, as there is then 
no vertical pressure of his back. 

When such horses fall down, which they are almost 
certain to do before the ninth year, if working fast, and 
they hurt themselves in a trifling degree only, they are, 
until cured, Uin^sou]S"d. 

Soundness and unsoundness, subsequent to such a fall, 
depends entirely upon the extent of the injury received. 
See the article on ^'Broken Knees." 



UPRIGHT JOINTS — KNUCKLING. 

When the pastern-joint of one or both of the fore-legs 
is perpendicular to the rest of the leg, instead of sloping 



94 THE HOESE. 

backwark, if this defect arise from work, the animal is 

Unsound. 
Such a deformity, in itself a serious defect, is bad also 
on account of its being such a deviation from nature as 
will soon render the horse useless from the lameness re- 
sulting from the concussion that the altered struc- 
ture of the joints permits. Sometimes this knuckling 
is produced by overwork or strains; sometimes by 
pumice soles; and very often it arises from navicular 
disease. 

Where either of the latter two exists, the disease is, of 
itself, an Unsoundness. 

With the hind-legs, these observations do not hold good ; 
for a horse may be quite upright in the joints of the hind- 
legs, and yet be perfectly Sound. 

A horse in this case is almost invariably as well able 
as any other to do his work: for it must be observed that 
nature often makes these joints much more upright than 
those of the fore-legs, because in the latter a greater de- 
gree of elasticity is required to break concussion, as there 
is greater weight borne by them than by the hmd ones. 
The rest of the fore-leg is, of necessity, of a pillar-like 
form, to enable it to support the weight of the fore- 
quarters in action, as well as the additional weight and 
concussion produced by the propeller-like motion of the 
hind-legs, and, therefore, the foreleg is posseted of few or 
no spring appliances beyond what are contained in the 
pastern and foot. 

The loss of even the slightest spring which is condu- 
cive to the prevention of concussion is, evidently, a 
serious matter; how much more serious must be the 
deprivation of this, the largest and most important 
spring of all. 

As the hind-legs have not the weight of the head and 
neck to support, they are not required to be upright or 
column-like. For their function is the propelling of the 



HOW TO BUY AKD SELL. 95 

body; and, with a view to effecting this with speed, they 
are of necessity longer than the fore ones. 

I think it is needless for me to enter into reasons fur- 
ther than to say that, for the convenience of the animal, 
and with a view to his adaptability to his work, his hind- 
legs are bent, and therefore full of springs, which render 
the hind-feet much less liable to the many diseases to 
which the fore ones are prone; indeed, so rarely are the 
hind-feet affected by navicular disease, pumice sole, or the 
various evils resulting from concussion, that, when such 
maladies do appear, they may be considered as extraor- 
dinary exceptions to the rule. 

We may then be justified in saying that horses do not 
have these diseases in their hind-feet, and that, conse- 
quently, there is less use made of the pastern joints here, 
than in the fore-feet. 

If the knuckling does not interfere with the action of 
the horse (liowever unsightly the defect "may be), he is 

Soui^D. 

But such unsightliness is considered to be a 

Blemish. 

When the uprightness impedes the action of the horse, 
or renders him incapable of performing the work due from 
one of his class, he is Uksoqkd. 



KNUCKLIiq-G. 

Though uprightness and knuckling are frequently used 
indiscriminately for the same fault, some persons make 
the distinction, that the former consists in perpendicu- 
larity, while the latter implies *^ bending over" at the 
pastern-joint. If there is any difference between the 
two, knuckling may be considered to be the more ag- 
gravated form. A horse that knuckles over is 

UlS'SOUKD. 



96 THE HOKSE. 

EKLAKGED JOINTS. 

Enlarged joints, resulting from blows, sprains, and 
wounds on the pastern- joints of the hind-legs, are gener- 
ally contracted in the field, and are, therefore, most com- 
mon in hunters, and mostly on the hind-legs, the proxi- 
mate cause being that the rider, by holding on by the 
bridle during the leap, prevents him thereby from throw- 
ing up his legs sufficiently to clear the fence. 

Those horses which have much timber or wall-jumping 
to do are the most subject to these defects. 

If there is no raw place, but a scar only; if the skin has 
completely grown over the injured part; and if the en- 
largement has arrived at its full size, and become hard 
and bony, so as not to interfere with the horse's action 
and capacity to perform his usual work, he may he held 
to be Sound. 

The enlargement is a Blemish. 

See the article on "Spavins," "Curbs," etc. 



SOFT EI^LAEGEMENTS. 

During the formation of soft enlargements, and until 
their result is ascertained, the horse is Unsoukd. 

If, upon their being fully developed, they do not im- 
pede the horse in the execution of his work, he is 

SOUKD. 

But, when they are so large as to be unsightly, they 
are Blemishes. 

See articles on " Windgalls," " Thorough-pins," "Bog- 
spavin," "Curbs," and "Spavins." 



LOKG PASTEElfS. 



When long pasterns do not impair the horse^s action, by 
causing weakness, as described in the articles " Cutting" 
and " Speedy-cut," he is Sound. 



HOW TO BUY AlfD SELL. 97 

Long pasterns, except when they are extreme for the 
weight or work required, may be considered an advan- 
tage, as they are easy to the rider and prevent concussion 
to the horse. 

If the length of the pasterns arises from the rupture 
or unnatural elongation of the tendon, the horse is then 
termed ''^broken down," and is U]S"S0UXD. 

When, from the great length of the pastern, the horse 
is incapable of doing the work due from one of his class, 
even though he was so foaled, he must be considered 

Uksouxd. 

Very long-pasterned horses, when they turn out their 
toes considerably, are sometimes called " Dancing- 
masters." 



BOOTS. 



Many a horse is unable to do his proper work without 
striking one leg against ajiother; this fault arises either 
from weakness and malformation, or from the horse hav- 
ing, during breaking, been allowed to acquire a crooked, 
slovenly gait. 

Such a horse, on account of his requiring the constant 
use of boots to prevent injury and cutting by striking his 
legs together, and on account of his demanding extra 
care, is Uxsouis^d. 

If from temporary weakness, or from leg-weariness 
caused by over-work or poverty of condition, the horse has 
acquired the habit of cutting, on his recovery from these 
ailments he may be deemed to be Souxd. 



KEAEIiTG. 



Rearing is a habit whicb horses acquire from their being 
used by nervous people, and by those who through ignor- 
5 



98 THE HORSE. 

ance of their real danger are deceived into believing them- 
selves good horsemen. Bearing is taught by violence and 
by the improper or too violent nse of sharp bits. The use 
of bits of this character often destroys the original cour- 
age of the horse, and renders him dangerous and good for 
nothing. Unlike most other vices of the horse, that of 
rearing is more dangerous to deal with in its earlier 
stages than when it has become confirmed; for, in the 
former case, the horse occasionally overbalances himself 
and falls upon his rider, while, in the latter, past experi- 
ence teaches the horse to retain his equilibrium, although 
in such cases he does sometimes make mistakes. 

No nervous person should attempt to use a rearing 
horse, as a very little mismanagement of the mouth will 
produce serious consequences, — that is to say, an inex- 
perienced or careless rider may, by pulling a tight rein 
when he should give a loose one, throw the horse over on 
his back. 

Eearing is not easily cured: it is a Vice. 



JIBBIKG. 



Horses acquire the babit of jibbing, by being misman- 
aged on their first essay in harness. They should then 
be treated with the greatest patience, however much time 
may be apparently wasted in getting them to start. Jib- 
bing is curable. 

The single jibber is not, on that account, dangerous, 
if he is not hurried, but is allowed to make his own start 
according to his humor. 

Jibbing is dangerous, when the horse runs backward 
instead of forward; when he lies down; and when, at 
starting, he plunges forward: these latter three cases be- 
ing aggravated forms of jibbing. Every form of jibbing 
is, however, a Vice. 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL. 99 

RUNNING AAYAT OR BOLTING. 

Horses addicted to running away are decidedly danger- 
ous, both for the user and for all that they encounter. 
This habit is the result of mismanagement, because no 
horse with a good mouth when well handled can run 
away. 

The cure is not difficult to effect; but until that is 
effected, and the mouth restored to its proper condition, 
the horse is decidedly Vicious. 

When bolting or running away is caused by defective 
yision, the vice is, properly so called, shying; although 
this is often, by misnomer, called bolting, on account of 
the difficulty experienced in pulling up, owjng to the 
bad mouth. 

A tendency of blood to the head, or any defect in the 
organs of vision, renders a horse Unsound. 



BITING. 



Biting to any serious extent is induced in the horse by 
the nervousness or thoughtlessness of its attendants; it 
is, however, a proof of ill-nature on the part of the horse, 
and a Vice. 

But that pretty, half vengeful, half playful kind of 
snapping with the mouth, while the ears are whimsically 
laid back, and the laughing eyes shine with harmless 
mischievousness — the peculiarities of horses possessing a 
strain of Eastern blood — is ho more a vice than is the 
gentle bite of a gambolling puppy. Neither is the habit 
of throwing out one of the hind legs in a careful manner 
— a habit peculiar to those horses — to be considered a 
vice. But ill-treatment and mismanagement will not 
fail to make such habits at length dangerous. 



100 THE HOESE. 

. In those cases in which a horse is driven into doing 
wrong, such misconduct, until it has become a regular 
habit, is Not Vice. 

For if you flog, spur, or otherwise punish a horse till 
he acts Avrongly, the fault is yours. All horses that are 
good for anything, will resent improper usage; and if 
you raise their mettle beyond your power of control, the 
blame lies with you, and not with the horse.. 

For the accomplishment of certain purposes with man, 
the excitement of his passions and feelings is sometimes 
successfully adopted; but an excess in this course frustrates 
the object, and tlie result is the reverse of what is desired. 

The same is the case with the horse: by raising his 
passions to a certain pitch, you bring out the evidences 
of his high spirit in the most graceful action; but, if you 
venture a little too far, you raise in him a dangerous 
spirit of opposition — the more dangerous as such cases 
occur only to bad horsemen, who unfortunately depend 
entirely upon sheer strength for getting out of the diffi- 
culty; the natural consequence being that the horse is 
victorious, and from that and subsequent victories ac- 
quires a vice most difficult to cure. 

Considering this subject of great importance, not only 
to the owner, but to the noble animal whose welfare 
every one acquainted with horses, cannot fail to have at 
heart, I dwell upon this subject in the hope of making 
proper treatment, and the consequences of ill-treatment, 
well understood by all — but especially by those who ignore 
the fact that it is possible to rouse a horse's temper be- 
yond their own notion of what is right, even if that horse 
is not by nature vicious — and of proving to the most ob- 
tuse the absurdity, danger, and barbarity of excessive 
and improper punishment. 

For it is but seldom that the horse requires correction, 
and even then mildness will, in most instances, accom- 
plish your purpose. 



HOW TO BUY Als^D SELL. 101 

Let, then, mercy go hand in hand with firmness and 
justice, always remembering that horses are not innately 
vicious: they derive whatever vice they ever have from the 
impolicy or cruelty of their users and attendants; but 
when any one bad trick thus acquired has become a con- 
firmed bad habit, it is a Vice. 



PRICE. 



It is frequently believed, that when a certain price, 
varying in amount according to the different notions of 
different people, is paid for a horse, and that price .is 
accepted by the vendor, a warranty is implied. The ab- 
surdity of such a conclusion is evident from what may be 
deduced from the preceding pages, inasmuch, as we have 
therein seen that most useful horses may fail to come up 
to the strict standard of soundness, while some of the 
most worthless and useless are strictly entitled to such 
a warranty. 

This view is strengthened by the fact that, while no 
used or second-hand horse exists which has not a bar to 
a warranty for soundness, yet, not unfrequently, several 
thousand dollars are given for a horse on account of its 
well-known superior qualities and usefulness. A dis- 
tinct kind of warranty for horses of this class is, there- 
fore, a great desideratum. 

A horse which, contrary to his natural normal con- 
dition, can seldom do one day's very hard work without 
for ever after bearing evidence thereof, can yet do 
an immense amount of work continuously for several 
years, in a satisfactory way, and free from lameness and 
other inconveniences. A horse, however, that has never 
done any work, but shows similar ^^ structure " or symp- 
toms, must be looked upon with suspicion, and ought to 
be called, as in most instances he is, Uxsouxd. 



102 THE HOESE. 

The difference between the horse that has never been 
worked, and a used or worked one, is easily detected. 

Horses that show signs of past work, yet perform the 
amount of labor due from one of their class, ought to be 
warranted as " worked horses." 

Thus, when a worked horse is no longer qualified for 
the same kind of work as that which he has been accus- 
tomed to, or where he has such of the above-mentioned 
trifling drawbacks, as are not detrimental to his fulfill- 
ing his vocation, he should bear a warranty, at the very 
least, as a ^^used horse;" and where a worked horse be- 
comes degraded to a lower class (as in the case of a horse 
which, no longer suitable for a hunter or saddle-horse, 
yet makes a very good harness-horse), he should be de- 
scribed in the warranty as a ^'used horse, for harness 
only." 

By the largest users of this class of horse, this want is 
well known and much felt; and although legislation has 
not provided such a form of conditional warranty, yet it 
is frequently given and taken by stage-coach owners and 
others. The warranties, however, accepted by. such per- 
sons, often allow too great laxity in the case of horses in- 
tended for ordinary purposes. 

This is mentioned to show how easy it would be to 
frame such a warranty for used horses, as would benefit 
and satisfy both purchasers and vendors. 

Three-fourths, at the least, of our hunters, though not, 
in strictness, entitled to it, do bear a warranty; and, in 
fact, as they do their work well, and may never have been 
lame, or if lame — ^lame for only a very short period — ^no 
one discovers in them any deviation from that standard 
of excellence which is implied in the magic word — ^^War- 
ranted." 

Where then is the harm of those supposed defects which 
causes no inconvenience to our saddle and other horses? 
Change of structure is not so much looked for or com- 



HOW TO BUY Ai^D SELL. 103 

mented upon in the slower-going draught-horse, m whom 
such change of structure is produced more gradually, 
owing to the gentle pace at which he is generally worked. 
All that is expected of him being that he shall do his al- 
lotted work properly. 



AGED HOESES. 

Another plea in favor of a definite form of warranty 
for used horses is to be found in the facts — 

1. That aged horses very rarely fulfill the conditions of 
warranty of unworked horses. 

2. That, notwithstanding such defects, they are gen- 
erally well qualified to do work required by the nervous, 
the timid, the elderly, and the indifferent horseman, as 
well as by those who, constantly requiring a great amount 
of work done at once, have yet no time to spare in care- 
fully handling, or in regularly exercising their horses. 

There certainly exists a senseless prejudice against buy- 
ing such old horses; yet, every real horseman well knows 
the luxury of using a fine, active old horse, which cannot 
even be forced into doing wrong — the case with every 
horse that has, for a considerable time, been ridden by a 
true horseman. You must let him, for the most part, 
judge for himself; and you will find that his judgment is 
right. 

'Not less valuable is the old saddle horse, while the old 
harness horse knowingly measures the width of his 
wheels, and, on all occasions, takes his proper side of the 
road. 

Well-seasoned old horses are less liable to disease than 
young ones, and do not tire so soon. 

It is a mistake to suppose that young horses will last 
longer in work than old ones (provided that the latter 
have not been hard-worked while young), working against 



104 THE HOESE. 

each other. The old one will work the young one off his 
legs; while with similar work the latter will succumb in 
a much shorter time, and unless great care, attention, 
and nursing are granted to him, and he is very regu- 
larly exercised, he will become troublesome and lose his 
health. 

The old horse, on the contrary, comes out of his stable, 
after his rest, as staid and sober as ever. 

I am aware that in advocating for particular purposes 
such superiority, I encounter the prejudice of all but true 
horsemen, who well know the valuable qualities of old 
horses. On the other hand, where you have time, and 
want your horses for ornament, you will find great pleas- 
ure in teaching young horses, in improving their mouths, 
and in promoting in them graceful action. But this 
should be attempted by those only who keep more than 
two horses, without which it is very difficult to do the 
young horses justice. 

A further reason why the old horse suits many persons 
is, that when he is eight years old or more, and has never 
*^been down," great reliance maybe placed upon his being 
foot sure: he will never fall, until either the senile weak- 
ness of extreme old age comes upon him, or he becomes, 
from continuous bard work, leg- weary. In fact, such 
work as this will bring " down " any horse, whatever be 
his age or make. 

By the time, too, that he has arrived at this age, great- 
er dependence can be placed upon his eyesight; for all 
ravages made upon his eyes by disease are, at the comple- 
tion of his eighth year, pretty well defined, so that they 
will thenceforth remain in their then condition, till work 
and time causes the pupils to dilate. Old horses, finally, 
are little apt to notice objects, even in the most trifling 
way, as there are few things that they have not pre- 
viously seen and become accustomed to : and when they 
do meet anything strange and out of the common, they 



HOW TO BUY AKD SELL. 105 

rarely shy, remembering how often they have been need- 
lessly alarn 



CLICKING — SHOYEL AND TONGS — POKER AND TONGS. 

These terms are used to express the sound produced by, 
and show the existence of, over-reaching 



OVER-REACHING. 

Clickmg, or striking the hind shoe against the fore one, 
while the horse is in action, often proceeds from his hav- 
ing been improperly ridden. As a warranty of soundness 
has nothing to do with what a horse has or has not been 
taught, so long as he is capable, with proper education, 
of doing the work due from one of his class, and, there- 
fore, is not physically disqualified, he is Sound, 

But when over-reaching or clicking is caused by his 
body being too short for his legs, or, as some express it, 
by his legs being too long for his body, the danger is 
much greater than in the former case; for, in this latter, 
he IS much more liable to tread on the heel of the fore- 
foot, and thus throw himself down, or tear oil the fore- 
foot shoe, in this instance, also running a great risk of 
falling. Such clicking stamps a horse as Unsound. 

He is sound so long as there is no abrasion or injury; 
but he requires careful shoeing and ada^^ting to right 
work. 

As long as any abrasion of the skin, or soreness of 
lieel, arising from over-reaching, exists, the horse is 

Unsound. 

I will here say, that whatever may be the opinion, in 
such cases, as to soundness, short-bodiedness itself is a 
defect of so glaring a character, that a horse of the kind 



106 THE HORSE. 

will be rarely palmed off for any but the meanest pur- 
poses. 

Short-bodiedness, however, must not be confounded 
with " short back;" in fact, the back can hardly be too 
short. 



YOUKG HORSES. 

When young horses are, on the one hand, to be broken 
in, in the short space of time not uncommonly allotted 
by indifferent horsemen, so as to be fit to be ridden, such 
time not allowing the paces to become ^^Bet"; or when, 
on the other hand, they are worked at so early an age, 
that no notion can be formed of their capabilities, we 
cannot but foresee that they will come to*ome mischief 
or other. 

As a somewhat analogous case, take that of a man 
brought from the farm, to be drilled in military exercises 
for a month or six weeks, and then to be allowed to go as 
he pleases, yet tied down to work totally different from 
that to which he has hitherto been accustomed ; and then 
say how long it would be before he would j^turn to his 
original gait and habits? Considering then the superior- 
ity of reason in man to that of the animal, can we fairly 
expect more of a horse than of a man ? 

The old soldier, long and well trained, and not subse- 
quently overworked, forever afterwards retains somewhat 
of an erect, military air. The old horse, ridden for some 
years by a good horseman, must be seriously overworked 
if he do not show, by his well-trained gait and by the use 
of his haunches, evidences of good drill and education. 



USED HORSES. 



The used horse, as has been before remarked, may be 
sound — so he may show signs of having been well broken_, 



HOW TO BUY AKD SELL. 107 

and well trained, and yet not move in his old wonted 
easy and graceful style. 

In such case, nothing biit long-continued rest and good 
feeding will bring back the jaunty step and manner 
which he certainly once possessed. Eecollecting great 
fatigues that he has undergone, and speculating on the 
probability of his having to exert all his powers, he care- 
fully husbands his resources. He retains that manner of 
stepping with the least fatigue to himself, which experi- 
ence has taught him. 



LOW-ACTION, OR DAIST-CUTTIN'G, OR GOIKG NEAR THE 
GROUND. 

Fever in the feet produces in horses low and ungrace- 
ful action; until that is cured, the horse is Unsound. 

When such low action is produced by the muscles 
being over-strained, until, by perfect rest, or by proper 
physicking, the horse is restored, he is Unsound. 

But the manner of skimming over the ground peculiar 
to blooded horses, is sometimes a habit only, and not 
dano-erous : so that, if this is not the result of disease, 
the horse is Sound. 

The above remarks refer only to extremely low action. 

Action, on the contrary, may be too high for practical 
purposes; it is then frequently called '' clambering." 



STUMBLING. 



Stumbling is often occasioned by inflammation of the 
feefc arising fi'om tightness of shoes, or from unequal 
pressure. A horse liable, from these causes, to stumble 
ig Unsound. 



108 THE HORSE. 

In most instances, stumbling will vanish when the 
promoting cause is removed; and even when that cause 
is chronic inflammation of the feet, the disease may be 
greatly relieved, and the stumbling propensity much 
diminished. 

It is here important to state that when a horse is cured, 
he is sound; for many persons allege that a horse, once 
unsound, is unsound for ever. 

Certainly, there are some diseases that leave lasting 
traces; and, in such cases, although the disease be so far 
cured, that it no longer endangers the animal's life, or 
that, if it i^rogress at all, it jDrogresses only slowly, those 
traces of disease are sufficient to stam|) the horse as 

Uksound. 

And where there has formerly been active disease in 
the feet, or where there is such a change of structure 
in any part as to interfere with his usefulness, he is 

Uls'SOUND. 

Acute fever frequently terminates in chronic disease, 
or the chronic form may have been produced gradually, 
lameness appearing and disappearing at short intervals; 
thus, while the horse is accused of shamming, the disease 
becomes confirmed before the real cause is suspected. 



FEYER 11^ THE FEET. 

Fever in the feet will produce in a horse ^^low action," 
or ^'^ going near the ground," and the horse thus afflicted 
is Uhsound. 

If fever in the feet be of so recent a character as not 
to have caused an alteration in the structure of the feet, 
it is curable; but this disease is so rapid in its progress, 
and so quickly assumes a chronic form and produces per- 
manent lameness, that it is rarely worth while buying a 
horse thus affected, unless you are thoroughly conversant 
with the treatment proper for such cases. 



HOW TO BUY AKD SELL. 109 

WATER. 

Of the many promoting causes of fever in the feet, I 
will here mention one, and only one — the easiest of all to 
prevent. It is stinting the horse of water. Let the 
horse have all the water that he chooses to drink; do not 
stint him in the least; the water will do him no injury 
whatever, if he is not worked immediately after his first 
satisfying drink and he is watered sufficiently often after- 
wards. The number of times a day that he may want water 
depends on many and varying causes; but he should be 
watered so often that he will not care to drink more than 
four quarts at one time. Proportionately, that amount 
of water will not occupy so much space in his stomach 
as does half a pint of liquid in the stomach of a man. 
Some hardy horses will take the full allowance five times 
a day, while frequently weakly ones will not take the 
specified quantity, though watered only twice. Four 
times daily is little enough for any of them. 

Cold water acts as a tonic to sick and weak horses, 
enabling them to eat more food, and, as they gain 
strength, to do more work. 

The horse, when brought into the stable, is taken 
from soft, succulent, and cooling food, and dej)rived of 
the double privilege of drinking as much water as he 
chooses, and of taking his exercise when and how he 
likes on soft and cool ground, to be put upon dry, hard, 
stimulating food, regulated in amount; to be in, unfor- 
tunately, most cases, stinted in his supply of water; to 
be forced to work on hard dry roads, shod as he is, with 
iron shoes that become heated by the continuous friction 
they undergo; and, as a climax, to be placed, at the end 
of his involuntary labor, on a warm, dry floor, made 
still warmer by an overspread layer of straw. N^eed we. 
then, wonder that this extreme change of diet does pro- 
duce such heat of body as, apart from the forced labor, 
is sufficient to produce decided disease. 



110 THE HORSE. 

Disease thus produced must necessarily settle in the 
weakest part; and whether such part be the battered 
feet, kept warm or dry, or any other part, such as the 
lungs, the liver, the eyes, etc., thither flies the malady. 



WOEK. 



The straining produced by long-continued work causes 
horses to step in a low and ungraceful manner; but if 
they are not thereby prevented from doing their proper 
work conveniently, they are, nevertheless, Soukd. 

But should they be disabled by past fatigue from work- 
ing properly, they are Uksouhd. 

In this case, if there is no chronic disease in them, 
good rest or a *^ run at grass " will effect a cure, and they 
are then, again, Sound. 

When horses, from long-continued fast work, go near 
the ground, so long as they can conveniently fulfill their 
proper tasks, they are Sound. 

But if unable, therefrom, to work properly, they are 

Unsound. 

Where, however, no chronic disease exists, good rest, 
or turning out for awhile, may restore them and make 
them again Sound. 

It is well known that stage-coach horses capable of 
going at the rate of ten miles, and compelled to work at 
the rate of eight miles an hour, will, in a couple of 
years, be unable to do more than six; and yet a common 
observer would not detect in such horses any signs of 
their being ^^beat " or distressed; in fact, they may still 
be in good condition. This decrease in their powers, 
when caused by contraction of the fibre of the muscles 
(if there is no other injury or malady existing), can by 
proper rest be overcome, and such horses be restored to 
their original turn of speed. 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL. HI 

In liere naming the case of the stage-coach horse I cer- 
tainly take an extreme case; besides, this class of horse is 
degraded from faster to slower work,, according to his 
capabilities at the time, so long as he suits his proprietor's 
purpose. Many private horses also become greatly 
reduced in*their powers of speed by careless and reckless 
driving; these latter can, by suflBcient rest, coupled with 
slower driving and more careful usage, be gradually 
restored. 

Thus, such horses as may, by rapid, careless, or unu- 
sually hard work, have been reduced in speed, but still 
be capable of restoration by care and rest proportionate 
to their particular class, should be entitled to be war- 
ranted as ' sound as used horses." 

To many persons such horses would prove serviceable 
and profitable, and the horses be themselves saved a great 
deal of future misery; since, were the above facts better 
known, no inconsiderable number of such horses, requir- 
ing nothing but a little gentle usage and quiet rest, would 
be bought for work for which they were adapted, would 
eventually, and as a general thing, quickly recover, and 
would thereby escape the drudgery which only too often 
renders the rest of their lives burdensome and miserable. 



NECK YEIN. 

The irritation, which is sometimes occasioned in the 
neck vein by the punctures of the fleam or lancet in 
bleeding, not unfrequently extends to inflammation, 
which, beginning at the orifice of the puncture, progresses 
towards the head, and, if not subdued, obliterates the 
neck vein on that side. While this disease is in progress, 
from the time of the incision to its thorough determi- 
nation, the horse i^ Unsound. 



112 THE HOKSE. 

When the vein is at length, destroyed, and the snr-. 
rounding parts completely healed, the horse will not be 
impeded in doing his proper work, and will not require 
to have extra attention bestowed upon him. Any incon- 
venience that he may experience may arise from the low- 
ering of his head in feeding off the ground Vhen he is 
^' at grass," as on such occasions an enlargement may be 
perceived at the junction of the head and neck, on the 
affected side. But as he does not show any signs of the 
swelling being unpleasant, as he does not demand extra 
care, as he continues to perform the proper work of his 
class, and, as the swelling vanishes soon after the head is 
raised, he is Soukd. 

However, the loss of the vein, to prevent dispute, had 
better be mentioned. 

The deprivation of this vein in a horse is a Blemish. 

When the neck veins on both sides are destroyed, the 
horse may still be able to do his assigned work properly. 
Nature oftentimes finds beautiful substitutes for per- 
forming work that was intended to be done by apparatus 
which has been destroyed. But if he is turned out '^at 
grass," and therefore forced to feed off the ground, he is 
likely to be choked.; on that account, therefore, he re- 
quires more than the ordmary care required by horses of 
his class, and is consequently Ui^soukd. 

Where there is a liability to irritation in the neck vein, 
arising either from constitutional peculiarities, or from 
the horse's condition at the time, it is advisable to bleed 
from the leg vein; this latter vein should be the one se- 
lected to bleed from in those cases, also, m which the 
horse to be bled has already lost one of the neck veins. 



large baeeel. 



A good, large, barrel-shaped body is evidence of a 
horse's possession of good health and powers of en- 
durance; it is, therefore, a sign that he is SouisrD. 



HOW TO BUY AI^TD SELL. 113 

But a distended, bulky stomach is, on the contrary, 
too often an indication of dropsy, in which case the horse 
is Uksound. 



HERKIKG-GUTTED. 

Herring-guttedness is the converse of large barrel, 
the horse being, in this case, small and straight in the 
body, and, generally, of a nervous and irritable dispo- 
sition; he may, however, be SouifD. 

But if this fretfulness of disposition renders the horse, 
as is very commonly the case, incapable of undergoing the 
amount of labor due from one of his class, he is then 

Uksoukd. 

Medicine administered to the horse, either too fre- 
quently or in too severe doses, will, by producing chronic 
irritation of the bowels, induce herring-guttedness. This 
irritation accounts for the hot, nervous, fidgety temjDer 
generally evinced by small-barrelled horses. A horse 
thus suffering is Ui^souKD. 

When, inversely, the small barrel is the result of fret- 
fullness and fidgety temper produced by cruel treatment, 
continued kindness, such as the horse has a natural right 
to expect, will soon restore him to good temper, and his 
barrel will resume its proper proportions; in this case the 
horse is Sou:s'd. 

When a horse is so hot-tempered as to be dangerous to 
ordinary users, if he has been warranted quiet for that 
particular kind of work in which he shows irritability, 
he may be returned on the score of breach of warranty, as 
his fault is a decided Vice. 



HOT WATEB,. 



The too frequent use of hot water, administered as a 
drink, produces a small barrel and general debility, and 
the horse becomes Ui^souiTD. 



114 THE HORSE. 

But, as hot or warm water is often of the highest ser- 
vice, it is the excessive use only of it that is to be con- 
demned; we must, therefore, observe that it is not the 
proper use, but the abuse of this drink that is to be 
avoided. 



WASHEY. 



Washey is a term applied to a horse when the least ex- 
ercise produces in him purging, the cause being irrita- 
tion of the intestines: such a horse is small in the barrel. 
For the promoting causes of irritation of the intestines, 
see the article, *^ Herring-gatted." 

A horse laboring under this malady is incapable of 
performing his work like others of his class, a very little 
exertion causing him great inconvenience, and he is, 
therefore, Uksoui^d. 

For the difference between washey and rumbling, see 
the article *^ Rumbling." 



TUCKED UP. 

Tucked up is another term applied to small-barrelled 
horses, and is a condition produced by various causes: it 
is generally applied to a small-barrelled horse while he 
shows that he is suffering from actual pain, either that 
which is incidental to the early stages of his recovery, or 
that which is caused by a spavin, a prick in the hind foot, 
acute disease, etc. Such a horse is Unsoukd. 

See also the articles " Herring-gutted," ^* Washey," etc. 



eumbli:n'g. 



Rumbling — ^which is frequently but erroneously con- 
founded with washey, upon the supposition that the 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL. 115 

noise proceeds from air or water being lodged in the in- 
testines — is, in fact, a sound that proceeds from the 
sheath. Horses liable to rumbling are not thereby incon- 
venienced, and are, for the most part, good, round-bar- 
relled horses, and Souxd. 
The fact that mares never make this noise is a sufificient 
explanation of its origin. 



TEIALS OF USED HORSES. 

Whenever any doubt exists as to the soundness of 
^^used horses," or as to their capacity for doing the 
requsite work without pain or inconvenience, a trial, in 
some cases extending over several days, should not be 
grudged. Sure a trial must of course be in strict ac- 
cordance with the then condition of the horse to be tried ; 
that is, the horse must be tried in that work only which 
can be expected from horses of that class in which his 
condition at the time showed him to be. 

Paradoxical as it might at first sight appear, many an 
unused horse would, by being subjected to a used horse 
trial, be degraded by that very trial to this second class. 
See '^^Aged Horses." 

I mention this to show what attention and care are re- 
quired in the trial of a horse, and especially to prove that, 
while the slightest marks of having been submitted to 
even one day's work vitiate his title to a warranty of the 
first class, he is yet entitled to one of the second class: 
for all deviations from a natural state, whether such be 
the results of work, or of any other cause, debar him 
from a first-class warranty, but yet do not disqualify him 
for the performance of work. Then, if a doubt arise as to 
the power of such a horse, possessing as he does certain 
defects and blemishes, to do his proper work convenient- 
ly, the right course is to submit him to trial in his specific 



116 THE HORSE. 

Yocation, certain regulations and stipulations being be- 
forehand agreed upon. 

Thus, if the proposed purchase is warranted to be in 
hunting condition, a fair and moderate trial with 
hounds, or in other words, an ordinary day's hunt, is 
justifiable; and, if you cannot insure the company of the 
owner for this purpose, it is important to obtain his pre- 
yious consent to the extreme test to which you propose to 
subject the horse. 

For a real and experienced horseman, a short trial suf- 
fices; for he knows well the state of condition that the 
horse under trial requires to qualify him for his work, 
and the necessity for making ample allowance for any ap- 
parent defect. 

STOPPING. 

Some horses have a trick of suddenly stopping, or pull- 
ing up short, when going at a fast pace. A horse of this 
kind is dangerous, from the likelihood of his throwing 
moderate riders over his head: such a trick is a 

Vice. 

This trick is additionally dangerous, because a horse 
that has this habit, will, probably, if hastily urged on to 
start afresh, begin some other trick. If this habit is not 
of very recent growth, it is very difficult to cure, requiring 
a true horseman's vigilance and patience: the horse is, 
however, Soukd. 

But where disease of the eyes is the cause of this habit, 
no cure can be effected until the disease is removed, and, 
in the interim, the horse is Uksoukd. 



TFRIS'IKG. 



Turning, that is, sudden and improper turning or 
twisting round, is a dangerous and troublesome habit; 
when it is not caused by disease, it is a Vice. 



HOW TO BUY A:N^D SELL. 117 

But if, upon examination of the eyes of the horse, you 
find them to be diseased or injured, you must then treat 
him, not as vicious, but as Unsound. 



STIFF HOCKS. 

Some horses are naturally stiffer and less elastic than 
others in the movements of the hocks. It is only by 
the stiffness of these proi^ellers — cceteris 'paribus — that 
a horse is prevented from being the fastest of his kind. 

There are, therefore, relative degrees of perfection of 
horses in this respect; so that, where the degree of elas- 
ticity is insufficient for one species of work, it may yet 
be suited to work of another kind, so long as such com- 
parative stiffness does not inconvenience the horse; and 
the buyer has every opportunity for ascertaining whether 
the 'Spaces " of his proposed purchase are suitable for the 
labor required. 

Stiff or naturally slow hocks do not prevent the horse 
from being declared Sound. 

Where, however, as in the articles ''Spavin" and 
'' Curb," such stiffness is caused by disease, the horse is 

Unsound. 



HAED MOUTH. 

The mouth being so hard as to render the horse un- 
manageable by ordinary users is a Vice. 

But to this rule there is a well-known exception in the 
case of ''trotters," which are expected to run away in 
trotting, and which, from their make, as before described, 
must bear heavily on the bit, so as to be kejDt upon their 
legs. With this class of horses, a hard mouth is consid- 
ered rather a virtue. 



118 THE HORSE. 

This expression— hard mouth — often misleads users 
into treating a horse as if he had altogether lost all sen- 
sation in his mouth, thereby aggravating instead of 
remedying the evil; the fact being, that mismanagement 
has drilled the horse into bearing unnecessary punish- 
ment of the bit — while a good horseman will quickly 
make the horse answer his hand, and in a short 
time permanently restore the tone and liveliness of its 
mouth. 



WOUNDS. 



Wounds of every description, however slight they may 
be, since there is no certainty as to how they may termi- 
nate, stamp a horse as Uksoukd. 



ABRASIOKS. 

Very slight abrasions, though scarcely attracting notice, 
and requiring little if any special care, yet, for the time 
being, stamp the horse as Uksound. 

Should abrasions, however, occur on any joint, such as 
the knee, etc., or any other important part, as gravel 
may have worked in, and the bruise be, consequently, 
serious, additional attention is called for. In this case the 
horse is decidedly Uksouhd. 

But when the abrasion is perfectly healed, he is 

SOUKD. 



BALD PLACES. 



Bare or bald places, which occur on many parts of 
horses' bodies, are not deserving of much notice, not 
being indications of any fault, nor of any liability to ac- 
cidents. 



HOW TO BUY A:^D SELL. 119 

However, when they are accounted unsightly, they are 
considered to be Blemishes. 

With a saddle-horse such a blemish, occurring on the 
shoulders, is decidedly unsightly, while, in a harness- 
horse otherwise suitable for the purj)ose, it would be 
ridiculous to object to that which is covered by the col- 
lar. The same reasoning applies to the marks beneath 
the roller or saddle, as well as to all such as are covered 
by the horse's trapping when at work. 



blemishes. 

All scars left from wounds or sores, as well as all un- 
sightly enlargements, whether such be the effects of 
blows, work, or sprains, are blemishes. 

Some blemishes do and some do not impair the horse's 
value: thus, while collar-marks are considered a disgrace 
to a saddle-horse, and lessen his value, in a very 
superior harness-horse they would be altogether over- 
looked. 

Broken knees lessen the market price of all horses. So, 
also, does the loss of one or both eyes. 

Marks on the fetlock show that the horse has, at some 
time or other, cut, and therefore require to be noticed 
with a view to seeing what probability there is that he 
will do so again. But if such marks are not the result of 
any peculiarity in his make, they may be, perchance, of 
no consequence, as it is possible they may have been pro- 
duced in him when, as a colt, he was being broken, or 
when subsequently, he was laboring under severe ill- 
ness, fatigue, or want of condition. 

The observations here made are intended merely to as- 
sist in deciding the relative bearing and importance of 
blemishes in general, each particular one being treated of 
in its proper place in this work. 



120 THE HOESE. 

GALLS. 

Galls are injuries arising from some part of the horse's 
furniture, such as the collar, saddle, etc. 



SADDLE-BACK — CRADLE-BACK — HOLLOW-BACK — LOW- 
BACK. 

Saddle-back, cradle-back, hollow-back, and low-back, 
are terms used to denote the form of a horse who has his 
back lower than in ordinary cases. 

Such a horse, when not so low in the bend of the back 
as to be disqualified for carrying a fair amount of weight, 
is generally easy and pleasant to ride, and Soukd. 

But, when the back is so low that the horse cannot 
carry proper weight, though he may be a good harness- 
horse, he is, as a saddle-horse, Un'SOUN'd. 

For harness such a horse may be considered sound, and 
he is by some preferred for his showing an elevated fore- 
hand. 



EOACH-BACK — HIGH-BACK. 



Eoach or high-back is the inverse of low-back, and is 
frequently produced in a horse by his being set to draw 
heavy weights while he is young. When it occurs to a 
moderate extent, only, it does not impede him in his 
work, and he is, therefore, Soukd. 

Even though it does not interfere with his title to a 
warranty of soundness, yet, when it is a positive disfig- 
urement to the horse, it is held to be a Blemish. 

When the back is weakened, or the horse is thereby 
impeded in his work, he is Uksoukd. 



HOW TO BUY A]S"D SELL. 121 

COLLAR-WRUNG. 

So long as the collar-wrung horse is sore, and until 
the raw part is completely healed, and covered with skin, 
he is Uxsou2S'D. 

When the sore is thoroughly covered with new skin, he 
is SOUKD. 

But the bald place or mark showing the site of the 
former injury is a Blemish. 

Should the horse be intended for harness-work, and 
the mark be neither too high nor too low to be covered 
by a well-fitting collar, it is hardly worth while to take 
particular notice of so trivial a blemish concealed as it 
is, especially if the horse be quite free from incon- 
venience, and be, in all other respects, suited to your 
purpose. 

From the size of the blemish it is conspicuous and un- 
sightly in a saddle horse; besides, you must remember 
that the same mark which is hidden by the winter's coat, 
often reapi^ears in all its ugliness when the horse is 
clipped, and when he changes his coarser coat for the 
finer gloss of summer. 



BLEEDII^G. 

Bleeding, simple as the operation seems, and in spite 
of the careless and slovenly manner in which many horse 
owners allow it to be performed, is not unattended with 
danger. 

As mischievous and unexpected results follow from 
even the most carefully-executed operation, until the 
orifice made by the lancet or fleam is com23letely healed, 
the horse is Uksouxd. 

When he is healed, and no evil effects or symptoms re- 
main, he is SouKD. 

See article on " ^N'eck-vein." 
6 



122 THE HORSE. 

Any large unsightly knot or lump about the neck- 
vein will generally be found to be the effect of bleeding, 
and must be considered a Blemish. 



SCAES. 

See "Wounds " and " Blemishes." 



FIRIKG. 



It is not advisable here to discuss the merits or de- 
merits of firing, as deep or severe firing is seldom re- 
sorted to. 

When the horse has been subjected to such an ordeal, 
however neatly the operation may have been performed, 
the mark, which will remain as long as he lives, must be 
held to be a ' Blemish. 

Such is not the case, however, with superficial firing, 
as then, in most cases, the traces are scarcely perceptible; 
therefore, except in rare instances, these slight traces do 
not constitute a Blemish. 

If, after firing, the horse goes free from lameness and 
inconvenience, the disease being completely removed and 
with the exception of the scars resulting from the oper- 
ation no alteration of structure having taken place, he is 

SOUKD. 



nervousness. 

ISTervousness or fidgetiness in the horse's disposition to 
such an extent as to render him difficult to clean, har- 
ness, saddle, bridle, or put into the stable, or as to make 
him jump or start at any unaccustomed noise or sight in 
or out of the stable, is a Vice. 

Although this fidgetiness and restlessness are generally 
caused by the mismanagement or thoughtlessness of the 



HOW TO BUY AJ^-D SELL. 123 

attendants, proper treatment will restore the horse to 
tranquility and usefulness. But none but an accom- 
plished horseman should venture to possess such a horse 
until it is cured of such habits, as the nervousness or ig- 
norance of the rider will only render the horse worse, 
and drive him into a dangerous state of desperation. 

LAMPAS. 

Lampas is a fullness in the mouth of young horses and 
is so generally confined to them as to be almost an incon- 
trovertible proof of youth. 

If lampas interferes with their eating, a little blood 
should be taken away by scarifying tlie roof of the mouth, 
or a dose of physic should be administered. Until one 
of these two courses is adopted, the horse is LT^soui^D. 
As soon as the bleeding in the mouth is finished, and 
the wound healed, or the medicine has worked off, the 
horse will feed as well as ever, and is Soukd. 

This complaint would hardly be worth so much notice 
if it were not for the barbarous and cruel practice, too 
commonly resorted to, of burning out or cauterizing, and 
so putting the animal to much unnecessary pain, pre- 
venting him during several days from eating, and mag- 
nifying a scarcely noticeable triviality into a matter of 
consequence. 

Another bad effect of cautery is the premature shrink- 
ing or withering of the gums, thereby giving the horse 
an appearance of age greater than is really the case; for 
the teeth do not, either in man or quadrupeds, grow 
longer as age advances, but the gums, as they recede, 
leave exposed a larger portion of the teeth, which thereby 
apparently increase in length, hi addition to this, the 
teeth, when no longer maintained firmly in their places 
by the gums, begin to fall out, and so give an apparent 
but false confirmation of the supposition of old age. 



124 THE HORSE. 

Besides the false appearance of age that cautery gives, 
premature decrepitude and its attendant ills are to be 
feared and avoided; for, that such ills must follow, is 
sufficiently clear when we consider how certain it is that 
the powers of digestion and mastication are impaired if 
not lost when the teeth are gone. 

This shows the importance of not unnecessarily re- 
ducing the fullness of the mouth. 



WALL-EYES. 

According to popular rumor wall-eyes never become 
blind, though how this error has originated it is diffi- 
cult to see. 

The appearance peculiar to wall-eyes is due to the ab- 
sence of the coloring matter of the iris, and therefore, 
were it true that the colored eye alone was liable to blind- 
ness, wall-eyes would be the only sound ones; and, in 
such case. He who has arranged with perfect wisdom 
everthiug for the good of His creatures would have made 
them the most prevalent, and not the exception. 

The truth is that such eyes are neither weaker nor 
stronger than ordinary ones, and are, therefore, Sound. 

And wall-eyes are not considered a Blemish. 



WHITE OF^ EYES. 

A horse that usually shows much white of the eye, 
particularly at the front corner, or that nearer to the 
nose, is, in most cases, hasty and nervous, if not violent, 
and you may believe, accustomed to ill usage. 

In exceptional instances you will find a mild-tempered 
horse showing much of the white, owing to the unusual 
smallness of the iris, but the difference of expression in 
the two cases is most apparent, the one expressing rage 



HOW TO BUY AKD SELL. 125 

or fear, while the other beams with mildness and confi- 
dence. 



EXCHANGE. — SWAP. 

In an exchange, or, as it is technically termed, in a 
swap, it is Yulgarly believed that no warranty, given by 
either party to the transaction, is binding. 

Absurd as this may appear, I am not^ aware that the 
question has ever been decided judicially; and I will, 
therefore, mention the method adopted by those who 
affect to be aware of this singularity. 

A gives B a receipt for two hundi-ed dollars, and a 
cheque for one hundred, and receives B's horse; while B 
gives A a receipt for three hundred dollars, and takes A's 
horse, A having agreed with B to value their horses at, 
respectively, two hundred and three hundred dollars. 

Then A imagines that, should the horse which he has 
taken of B not fulfill the terms of the warranty, he can 
recover his three hundred dollars; and equally satisfied is 
B that, if the warranty which he has received from A is 
not verified to the letter, he will get his two hundred 
dollars returned; or the one imagines that, in such case, 
he may compel the other to a re-exchange, so as to place 
both A and B in the same position as that in which they 
were prior to the transaction. 

I do not myself see why a warranty given in a swap or 
exchange should be void, especially when a money con- 
sideration is given and received. But, as it is advisable 
to avoid litigation as far as possible, I would suggest 
that, in an exchange, each party to the contract should 
hold a warranty in writing from the other, the value set 
upon the horse being marked thereon. 

PAKALYSIS. 

The loss of the use of any limb or function, through in- 
jury to the brain, the nerves, or the muscles, is paralysis. 



126 THE HOESE. 

Horses laboring under a liability to this disease are, on 
some occasions, deprived instantaneously of the nse of 
the part so affected; as, for example, a horse will become 
paralyzed in his leg while he is in action. I haye known 
horses, while trotting or galloping rapidly, to be deprived 
momentarily of the nse of a leg to the great risk of the 
rider, and, after a few moments, to recover the use as 
suddenly, and proceed as well as ever, until again 
attacked. A horse liable to paralysis is TJnsoujs^d. 

Until this disease has endured long enough to shrink 
or partially wither the muscles, it is not easily detected 
by those who are not conversant with the symptoms. 

Paralysis must not be associated with ^' shrunk mus- 
cles " when the muscles are shrunk from other causes. 



HUMORS. 



Humor is a term applied to swelling of the legs and 
other parts of the horse, and to small spots on the body 
which denote a want of medicine or bleeding. When 
humor arises from weakness or overwork, tonics should 
be applied occasionally, but as they are not popularly 
understood by the term medicine, it is right they should 
be mentioned to prevent the substitution of depletents. 

A horse while thus troubled is Unsoukd. 

When the effect of the medical treatment is over, and 
the indication of its necessity removed, he is again Soukd. 

See article on " Surfeit." 



CLAMBEEIKG. 



The high and short stepping of a horse is called 
clambering. 



HOW TO BUY A^-D SELL. 127 

Clamberers are slow and, from the great waste of 
muscular energy, are but poor workers; they are in this 
respect, however, Sound. 



HIGH HIPS. 

High hips are very unsightly; they owe their promi- 
nence to narrowness of the loins, and are therefore weak; 
high-hipped horses are long in the waist, that is, they 
are too lengthy from the hip to the last rib; they are 
inclined to be washy, and purge when exercised or sharply 
worked, and are frequently hot and colicky in temper. 

All large-hipped horses are good leapers, on account of 
the great leverage provided by their wide hips, and are, 
in this respect, Souiq^D. 

Where the loins are good, not flat sided, and ^^well 
ribbed home," the wider the hips the greater the horse's 
power; in such case the angularity is softened and the 
horse is a very superior one for work. 



IvTAEROW LOIKS. 



Narrow and weak loins are generally found with narrow 
hips, the defectiveness in this case being even worse than 
in that of high hips; but as the two defects generally go 
together, I refer to the article on " High Hips." is'"ar- 
row-loined horses are Soukd. 



LONG WAIST. 



Long waist is a term aj^plied to horses that are very 
lengthy between the last rib and the haunch-bone : such 
horses are weakly, have, generally, small loms, but are, 
so far, Sound. 

See the preceding two articles. 



128 THE HOESE. 

WIDE BEHIHD. 

Horses that spread or straddle their hind-legs when in 
fast action usually do so to prevent treading on the fore- 
feet, their shoulders being too upright to allow the fore- 
feet to be thrown forward sufficiently to be out of reach 
of the hind ones. They are seldom good trayellers. 
Their hocks are generally skewed or '' cow-hocked," and 
supposed to be weaker and more subject to disease. 
Unless, however, it amounts to an extreme malforma- 
tion, they are Soui^D. 

But when they go wide owing to stiff or diseased 
hocks, they are TJksoukd. 

See article on '' Upright Shoulders." 

DISHING. 

Dishing is a term used to express the movements of 
those horses which turn out their fore-feet when in 
action; they usually lift their legs high and are safe to 
ride, but unpleasant, partly on account of the peculiar 
roll of the shoulders, and also because their action 
bespatters riders with mud. 

This action is sometimes induced by bad breaking; 
with work it generally leaves horses, or as they get 
stronger with age they lose the habit. 

A horse that thus turns his feet is unable to perform 
long journeys or to do extraordinary work, on account of 
the amount of exertion consumed in accomplishing the 
useless labor. 

Horses that have this habit may still be considered 

SouiirD. 



pigeo:n^-toed. 



Horses that stand with the fronts of the hoofs turned 
towards each other are called pigeon-toed. 



HOW TO BUY AND SELL. 129 

They are commonly considered to be unsafe, but this 
depends uj^on the width of chest, and upon whether they 
can or cannot perform all their paces without the toes of 
one foot touching the other leg so as to interfere with 
the usefulness of their action. 

If this peculiarity, then, does not make them defective 
in the execution of their proper work, they are Sound. 

Of this I have known many instances £,mongst extra- 
ordinarily good horses. 

But, should the peculiarity impede them in their 
labor, they are Unsound. 



COCK-THEOTTLED. 

Horses that are stiff at the setting on of the head to 
the neck are termed cock-throttled. 

They cannot bring their noses in properly, and are 
unpleasant to ride, from their not giving way with that 
elasticity which is required by thehorsenian's hand, but 
yet are Sound. 

When this defect is not cock-throttle proper, but is 
produced by sore throat, by a swelling of the vicinal 
glands, by severe cold, or by the commencement of 
strangles, the stiffness being occasioned by actual disease, 
the horse is Unsound. 



INDEX. 



Abrasions. 
As-e 



PAGE 

...118 
.. 81 



Aged Horses 103 

Artificial Contraction 25 

Asthma 63 

Back, broken 53 

" chinked 52 

" cradle 120 

« high 120 

" hollow 120 

" low 120 

" roach 120 

" saddle 120 

Bald places 118 

Bandages 33 

Bar shoes 30 

Bastard Strangles, or Vives 91 

Bearing-Rein 57 

Bent before 92 

Biting 99 

Bleeding 72, l_'l 

Blemishes .119 

Blindness, total •J2 

Blood Spavin. 44 

Bog Spavin 45 

Bolting— Running away 84, 99 

Boots. 97 

Broken Back 53 

Canker 52 

Capped Hocks 40 

Chinked Back. . . '52 

Clambering 126 

Clicking — Shovel and Tongs — 

Poker and Tongs 105 

Coat, staring 47 

Cock-throttled 1 29 

Colds .62, 89 

Collar-wrung 121 

Contraction, artificial 25 

Corns. 26 

Cough 62 

Cough, chronic 62 

Courage 50 

Cradle-back 120 

Crib-biting 63 

" prevention of 63 

Curbs 37 

Cutting 48 

Daisy-cutting 107 

Dealers' Horses 7.3 

Diet and Exercise 73 

130 



PAGE 

Dishing 128 

Dropping before 54 

Dropping behind 53 

Dullness 68 

Eating Beds 64 

Enlargements, soft 96 

Examination 15 

Exchange— Swap 125 

Exercise and Diet 73 

Eyes, the 20 

" wall 124 

" white of 124 

False Quarter 28 

Feet, contracted 23 

" contraction of the 15 

" fever in the 108 

Firing 122 

Fleshy Heel 55 

Foot, flat 17 

" perfect 17 

Galls 120 

Glanders S9 

Grease 46 

Groggy 40 

Grunting. 60 

Harness, quiet in , ... 81 

Hard Mouth 117 

Heel, fleshy 55 

Heels, cracked 46 

Height and Age 81 

Herring-gutted 113 

High-back 120 

Hip, low 46 

Hips, high 127 

Hocks.. 36 

" capped 40 

Hollow-back 120 

Hoofs, open 17 

Horse, the sound 66 

" aged 103 

" dealers' 73 

" saddle 74 

" used 106 

" trial of 115 

" young 106 

Hot Water 113 

Humors 126 

Hunters ; 74 

Jibbing 98 

Joints, enl^ged 96 

" other Diseases of 46 



IKDEX. 



131 



PAGE 

Knees, the 18 

Knees, broken 10 

" swollen -0 

Knuckling 95 

Lame -11 

Lameness S^ 

"• cunning 55 

Lampas 123 

Large Barrel 112 

Leather Soles ol 

Legs, swollen 47 

Loins, narrow 12" 

Long Pasterns 96 

Long Waist 127 

Low Action or Daisy-cutting, or 

going near the Ground 1 07 

Low-back liO 

Low Hip 46 

Malformations 69 

Medicine 73, 86 

Mouth, hard 107 

" the 22 

Narrow Loins , — 127 

Neck Vein Ill 

Nervousness 12i 

Open Hoofs IT 

Over-reaching 105 

Paralysis 125 

Pasterns, long 96 

Pigeon-toed 129 

Play— Playfulness 84 

Poker and Tongs .' 1"5 

Price 101 

Pumice Sole '8 

Quiet In Harness 81 

RatTail 49 

Rearing 9^ 

Receipts on Warranty '^'J 

Rheumatism 43 

Ring Bones '^1 

Roach-back 12^* 

Roaring 60 

Rumbling 114 

Running away— Bolting 84, 99 

Saddle Horses '4 

Saddle- back Cradle-back, Hollow- 
back, Low-back 120 

Sand-crack 27 

Scars. ...V 122 

Shoulders, upright '-'2 

Shovel and Tongs 105 

Shying 



82 



PAGB 

Sinews 59 

Skittishneas 86 

Soft Enlargements 96 

Spavin, blood 44 

'' bog 45 

Spavins 38 

Speedy-cut 34 

Splents 33 

Staring Coat 47 

Starting 84 

Stiff Hocks 117 

Stopping 116 

Strangles 88 

String Halt 45 

Stumbling 107 

Surfeit 72 

Swap 125 

Thorough Pins 44 

Thrushes 29 

Trial, the.... 69 

Trials of Used Horses 115 

Tucked-up 114 

Turning 116 

Unnerving 49 

Upright Joints— Knuckling 93 

Upright Shoulders 92 

Used Horses 106 

" trial of 115 

Vein, neck Ill 

Vices .76 

Vives 91 

Waist, long 12T 

Wail-Eyes 124 

Warranties, Receipts on 79 

Warranty 13 

Warranty, use of 13 

Washey 114 

Water 109 

Water, hot 113 

Weaving 67 

Weaving, cure of 68 

Wens 47 

Wheezing 62 

Whistling 61 

White of Eyes 124 

Wide behind 128 

Wind, broken 59 

Wind-sucking 67 

Windgalls S2 

Work 110 

Wounds.... 118 

Young Horses lo6 



SPORTSMEN'S EMPORIUM, 

751 Broadway, Hew York. 



PUBLISHERS 
IMPORTERS 

OF 

ALL WORKS 

PEBTAIWIlira TO 

HUNTING, FISHING, BOATING, FIELD and LAWN GAMES, 

ETO^ BTO. 





Staniarfl Gniies lor Selectioii, Imm and Trainins of florses, Dois, ani Birds, 



GUNS OF ALL MAKE, 

Fishfai? Tackle, FishiDg- and Hunting Suits, Tents, Camp Aceontremenls^ 

and Sporismen^s Outfits generally. 

AEOHEEY, CEOQTJET and TENIHS BETS, aad CEAITDALL'S BLOCKS and TOTS. 

STUFFED AEIMALS AND BIRDS; 

Prepared Heads, Wings, Breasts, Mounted Claws, Stags' Heads, Game 

Panels, Bird Skins, etc, 

MOUHTnrGS BPEOIAIiLT TOE lETISTS. BUPPLnS POB TAXIDEEMISTSi 
BOOKS, containmg complete and accurate Instructions for Secdeing, Pbb- 

PABIHG, AND PRESERVING- GAME, FEBWS, GRASSES, etc., etC, 




All Goods delivered free ofcar- 
riage in New York City, 



ORDERS BY MAIL 

receive immediate attention. 

ORANGE JUDD CO., 

751 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, 




m: 



W^\^ 




